WFD Captain Barry Andis retires
May 23—A long-time Washington firefighter has answered the bell for the final time.
Fire Captain Barry Andis is taking the last of his accumulated vacation before officially capping 27 years of service to the city of Washington.
"When you can't keep up with the young kids, that is the good indicator. As you get older, you find your body does not do the things you want to do," said Andis. "About three years ago, I figured out it was a young man's game. Yes, the kids benefit from my experience but it is a very physical job and a demanding job and when your body will not let you do certain things that is a good sign that it is time to move on."
With Andis leaving, the city will be adding a new firefighter who will have to gain the experience and knowledge.
"Knowledge, experience. We have somebody lined up to hire and he has very little experience. He has been on the Loogootee Fire Department for a couple of years," said Washington Fire Chief Steve Walden, who began with the fire department the same week as Andis. "Compared to Barry, it is like starting from scratch. He will be starting from a place where he will have to learn the city and the buildings. In some ways, during our training the entire department will go back and review while the new guy gets caught up."
Being a firefighter can at times be a lot of work, at other times boring and on some occasions thrilling and frightening.
"The Hoefling fire is the one that stands out in my mind. I was a rookie and had been on for a couple of months. We were fighting the fire and then the building blew up. I didn't know what had happened. I looked around and saw all of these bricks laying around me, and I didn't realize until later, how close to death I came," he said. "For firefighters, the first major structure fire is the one we always remember. That is the one that told me I'm a firefighter."
While Andis is heading out the door, he is already able to recognize what he will miss most about not being part of the fire house.
"The thing I will miss the most is the brotherhood, the stuff behind the scenes that the people don't see. We all torment each other, argue with each other, but by the same token when the tones go off, we work as a unified, single-purpose, single-goal entity. When there is a job to do, whether it is a fire or medical everyone is working to do the best they can. Then when the job is completed, we go back to what we were doing," said Andis. "The stuff you see on tv isn't even close to what life is like in the firehouse. You live with these guys. You get to know their families and see how they are behind the scenes."
He also leaves a legacy that includes multiple citations for saving lives in the line of duty.
"I have been credited with being a part of three saves, along with some of the other guys. My first rescue was out at Perdue when a large chlorine line busted and me and three others went in and got her out," said Andis. "Then there was one on Southeast Seventh and the last one was on West Walnut when some people were trapped on the roof and Dwayne Murphy and I and some police officers got them down."
The future for Andis is a move and his trading in the black and gold of Washington for the green and gold of Green Bay.
"I am a big Green Bay Packers fan. Last December I bought a house there that's a five-minute drive from the stadium," said Andis. "I'm going to take five or six months off. I haven't had that kind of free time since I was a kid. I will fix the house up a little. It's training camp time soon. I'd like to spend some time watching that. My goal is to eventually get a job at the stadium. It's a great city."
He says the future though is bolstered by memories of a career that made a difference.
"It has been a great career. It has gone by faster than you would think," said Andis. "Being a firefighter is the bluest of the blue-collar jobs and has been a fantastic career. It's not always exciting, but I wouldn't change a minute of it."
