A big part of Saturday’s First Responders Appreciation Day in Ripon will be recognizing the remarkable career of Dennis Bitters.

“With 42 years of dedication to the Ripon Consolidated Fire District, this celebration is set to shine as a tribute to his legacy,” said the Ripon First Responders Appreciation Day website on the retiring fire chief.

He’ll also be recognized at Tuesday’s Ripon City Council meeting with a proclamation for dedicating “himself to the highest standards of professionalism and excellence” with the local fire district.

Bitters has been with the Ripon Consolidated Fire District since 1982, serving as a volunteer firefighter for those first eight years.

He earned several promotions, including lieutenant and captain while becoming a State-Certified Emergency Medical Technician.

Bitters, who was officially hired in 1990 with the Ripon Consolidated Fire District, rose through the ranks – he was promoted to Battalion Chief (1992), Assistant Chief (1993), and Fire Chief (2003).

He served as the latter for the over 21 years.

Hundreds of people are once again expected to gather, beginning at 8:30 a.m., walking together from the Ripon Police Station, along Main Street, and to Fire Station No. 1, for First Responders Appreciation Day – held annually on that first Saturday in April.

“Our goal is to demonstrate, as a community, the appreciation and value we place on the sacrifices our First Responders make for all of us,” according to founder and Councilman Michael Restuccia and his wife, Mona, in their letter to supporters.

They’ll gather at fire station located at 142 S. Stockton Ave., beginning at 10 a.m., to honor “our community hero’s retirement.”

For more information, log on to www.facebook.com/RiponFirstRespondersAppreciationDay.