Dennis Bitters received special recognition at Saturday’s First Responders Appreciation Day in Ripon.

And for good reasons.

The longtime chief of the Ripon Consolidated Fire District is retiring after 42 years of distinguished service.

“During his tenure, Fire Chief Bitters has become highly regarded by his peers and known throughout the state for his accomplishments and service,” according to the Commendation he received last month from the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors.

They recognized Bitters for serving as the Operational Area Fire Coordinator for San Joaquin County during the past 17 years. He was responsible for deployment of all fire resources (personnel and apparatus) from SJC into the State Mutual Aid System for disaster callout requests for assistance from other states and counties.

Bitters, who also received recognition this week from the Ripon City Council – his last day is at the end of the month, with Eric DeHart of the Stanislaus Consolidated Fire District being named the new fire chief – is looking forward to finally “sleeping in.”

He’s up every morning at 3 o’clock as part of his duty as fire chief.  His behind-the-scenes work also entails doing the annual financial audit for the department.

Bitters was known to turn down pay raises during a down economy, even after his wife, Carla, was laid off from her job with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Modesto.

“We’re looking forward to traveling,” he said on Friday on his upcoming retirement. Those plans include spending some time driving up north to Oregon in the RV.

A 1977 graduate of Ripon High, Bitters didn’t plan on becoming a firefighter following graduation. “I wanted to be a cowboy,” he said.

He initially worked for Ripon Farm Services, a division of Professional Farm Services of California, as an Operation Manager.

There were parts of that job which would serve him well down the road, including that of Hazardous Materials Specialist.

In 1982, Bitters became a volunteer with the Ripon Consolidated Fire District after talking to a firefighter. “It sounded fun and interesting,” he recalled.

He spent several years juggling two jobs – Ripon Farm Services and volunteer firefighter – but that soon changed following a 105-car pileup occurred on the freeway due to foggy condition. A California Highway Patrol officer took notice of Bitters’ knowledge of hazardous materials during that accident, encouraging him to become a full-time firefighter.

“I applied and got hired,” he said.

As a volunteer firefighter, Bitters received several promotions, from lieutenant to captain while becoming a state-certified Emergency Medical Technician. By becoming a full-time firefighter, he had to give up his rank and start all over.

Bitters, who was hired full-time in 1990, became Battalion Chief some two years later. He was in charge of all regulatory and safety compliance for the district coupled with the duties of fire prevention and inspections.

In 1993, Bitters was promoted to second in command. He was the Assistant Chief and appointed fire marshal.

He was appointed Fire Chief in 2003 – Bitters spent four months prior to that as the interim fire chief – becoming the just the seventh fire chief since the formation of the Ripon Consolidated Fire District in 1921.

He has the distinction of being the only person to serve in every rank in the fire district and is the second longest length of service.

“Chief Bitters will be sorely missed by colleagues and the community, but he has earned the title of retiree,” said his City of Ripon proclamation.