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Longtime Beavercreek battalion chief retires

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BEAVERCREEK — As Bryon Betsinger went down the row of Beavercreek Township Fire Department staff, embracing each one and sharing a few words with each, he was saying farewell. The battalion chief retired Wednesday following a career of more than 33 years with the department.

According to Betsinger, he’ll leave the department he served for so long with mixed feelings.

“It’s not a job that you leave easily,” he said following a retirement ceremony Wednesday.

Looking back on his career, Betsinger said he would remember trying to “organize the chaos into something that was manageable and just being there for people” on the worst days of their lives.

The firefighting business drew Betsinger in at an early age when his uncle, who was also a firefighter, took him to the firehouse. The five-year-old Betsinger was hooked.

He began with the department as a volunteer in 1983 before being hired to a full-time position in 1989. He spent the next 27 years moving around to various stations in the department.

Betsinger, an eighth generation firefighter, has already passed along the family legacy to his son, the ninth generation in the family chain.

“He took over the family business I guess,” Betsinger said with a laugh.

Betsinger, a Beavercreek resident, said the people are what he enjoys most about the community.

“It’s a friendly community,” he said. “I’ve met a lot of people here in the community. People are nice here in Beavercreek. It’s a nice place to live. … You have to look if you’re going to complain about something.”

Beavercreek Township Fire Department Battalion Chief Bryon Betsinger looks on during his retirement ceremony Wednesday.

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Beavercreek Township Fire Department Battalion Chief Bryon Betsinger looks on during his retirement ceremony Wednesday. Nathan Pilling | Greene County News

The Beavercreek Township Fire Department held a retirement ceremony for Battalion Chief Bryon Betsinger Wednesday.

http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2016/07/web1_retire2.jpg

The Beavercreek Township Fire Department held a retirement ceremony for Battalion Chief Bryon Betsinger Wednesday. Nathan Pilling | Greene County News

Bryon Betsinger
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2016/07/web1_retire3.jpgBryon Betsinger Nathan Pilling | Greene County News

By Nathan Pilling

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Reach Nathan Pilling at 937-502-4498 or on Twitter @XDGNatePilling.