Portageville Fire Chief Foster retires from fire department

At Monday night's monthly Portageville City Council meeting, Fire Chief Bill Foster submitted his letter of retirement from the Portageville Fire Department.

After 61 years of service (26 years as firefighter, 19 years as assistant chief, and 16 years as chief), effective at midnight,

December 31, 2017, I will no longer be a member of the Portageville Fire Department, he said.

"It has been an amazing journey," he began. "When I was very young, I followed my dad, Chief Richard (Jitney) Foster around the fire department. I learned at that time what it meant to be a firefighter. When I became of age, my dream came true. In 1956, I was voted on by the members of the fire department and became a full-fledged firefighter. Later, I was elected Assistant Chief under Fire Chief Bob Duggins. After Chief Duggins' death, I was elected Chief. Yes, it has been an amazing journey."

"I want to thank you, the citizens of Portageville, for the honor and privilege of serving you for the past 61 years," he concluded.

It will be up to the fire department on who they vote to be fire chief.