Retired fire marshal leaves a legacy
Submitted by jcht2010 on
There are a lot of things people can say about Buster Chase, but you can bet, it won't be anything bad.
Buster spent 28 years as a employee of the City of Edna then ten years prior to that as a volunteer Firefighter/EMT with the city.
It's hard to think of that at times, 38 years of service and dedication to the citizens of Jackson County. I say that because I haven't been alive that long. Or, like Buster would say, "My mustache is older than you."
The only thing Buster loved more than this department and the people of Edna were his family and faith.
I always thought Buster was unstoppable. He would work all day at the firehouse, leave there and go to his church and work well past dark and into the night. We would get calls at all times of the night and you could bet there would be a white truck hot on your tail. The guy didn't miss anything! We would be complaining in the morning about how tired we were, and how long of a night we had, then Buster would walk through the door looking like a refreshed teenager ready to do it all over again. And he did!
If you walked into his office it was literally like a museum for the fire department. The walls were lined with both awards and certifications. They would stretch the length of his office if you lined them up. Some weren't even in color yet, just a gray and black moment stuck in time.
We would sometimes joke with him about the books and boxes stacked in his office. At times there would be barely enough room to walk around in there. If you thought for one second though that he didn't know where something was, or what it was for, you were wrong!
I never understood how one man did so much work in so little time. It was no problem for a day at work for Buster to involve a simple inspection followed by a person not breathing and doing CPR for 30 minutes or an hour with us and then going to a staff meeting, then a grass fire that lasts hours, followed by a motor vehicle accident on a county road helping cut out a trapped victim, sometime during all that, finding time to get some lunch. I never, and still don't, understand how he kept that pace for 35+ years!
People say that Buster Chase was the person who built the emergency services system in Edna, and they are right, he literally put the walls up on this station with his own two hands. There are not many nails in these walls that weren't put in by Buster. He built this firehouse from a one ambulance and one small single cab fire truck to what it is today, a thriving and highly trained fire/EMS department.
At no time in the history of the Edna Fire Department has it been this highly trained or prepared for any and all emergencies. He accumulated the newest fleet of ambulances this city has ever had (all are less than six years old), two of which are less than one year old. All three not costing the taxpayers of Edna one penny! He has also obtained the most advanced/high-tech fire truck this city has ever had through grants and city funds. This is all a reflection of one person’s dedication and hard work, his name is Buster Chase.
I had never seen Buster ever express his true love for this department and the people of Edna until 2011-12 when talks of budget issues first came to light. When the City told Buster that his department may face a closure, he was never the same after. He only worried about the public's safety and the well being of us and our families, never himself. Buster endured the heartache of one day losing what "he" built overnight by the swipe of a pen from someone in City Hall.
I can remember Buster coming to us saying he's having "chest pains" and wanting us to run a 12 lead, (an electrical picture), of his heart to ensure he wasn't having a heart attack from the stress. When the ESD was established we all took a deep breath of relief. I wasn't happy for myself, I was happy for Buster, getting to keep what is rightfully his. Getting to see Buster plan the future of this department again was pretty amazing. He had big plans for this city and it's Emergency Services and I got to be a part of it.
It's hard to believe he is retired. He's not gone to me. I see Buster in every room of this station and I see Buster in how we, as employees, of his carry ourselves in public and on calls.
I thought I was a very good fireman and good man in life, until I met Buster. He has a way of humbling people for sure.
The city, no matter how hard they try, will never be able to replace Buster Chase. The city could hire five people to do his job and they wouldn't be able to carry half the workload that man did.
In the end, Buster deserved better than what he got from the city. How does a man that risked his life for 35+ years get nothing from the city he swore to protect?
I'll will never forget the day seven grown men cried our eyes out like children in his office when he told us his ride was over, that he physically couldn't take the heartache any longer.
The city wants to talk about money issues and use what Buster built (the Fire/EMS) as a bargaining chip, I hope they understand what he has been through over the years. If I were to put a cash value on the pain, heartache and death he's endured over his career, the city couldn't pay the taxes on it – literally!
Terry Jordan
Firefighter/paramedic
Edna, Texas
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