Jeff Fincke. Gone fishing.
After 46 years, Fincke no longer has to respond to emergencies, show up in the middle of the night at a house fire, find space to house and clothe hurricane refugees, or just be in an office.
Friday was Fincke’s final day of work for Kendall County, closing a long chapter that began when a brash young 16-year-old sought an opportunity to volunteer with the Kendall County Fire Department — a decision that shaped the trajectory of a long, involved career.
“I started hanging around (the firehouse) after my 15th birthday,” Fincke said Friday, his last day on the clock.
It was about 2005 when Fincke stepped into his current roles as county fire marshal and director of emergency management.
“About 2005, they had a parttime emergency guy and they were ready to hire a full-time guy,” Fincke, 71, said. Already in the EMT-firefighting realm operation, he applied. “Firefighting is a young man’s job ... so I applied.”
“Well, he’s been running EMS for 25 years, let’s pay him and move on,” was the reaction from county officials, Fincke said.
Kendall County Precinct 3 Commissioner Richard Chapman said it’s hard to find people who devote themselves to their craft the way Fincke did.
“There’s very few people in this county that have dedicated as much time toward the betterment of the county than Jeff Fincke,” Chapman said. “He started this service, literally — he made the first EMS call in Kendall County. That was his baby for years, he wanted to see it succeed.” Chapman said there were many late evenings, late nights and early mornings “where we’d have to go out and fix an ambulance, right there on the side of the road. You don’t find too many people like Jeff, who have that type of dedication,” he said.
Kendall County Emergency Management Director Jeff Fincke measures and divides doses of Covid vaccine in the months following release of the vaccine. Courtesy photo
“I can’t say enough good things, there aren’t enough words to describe him properly, and what he’s done for this county,” Chapman added.
Wiley Cloud, a real estate broker for Texas Hill Country Realty, is part of Fincke’s “breakfast circle.”
The group of guys meet at Taqueria Reyna Tapatia at North Main and School Street.
“He’s there every day. They get there at about 6 o’clock, when the door opens,” Cloud said. “They’ve all got to have their seat; I say it’s like grown men in kindergarten.”
Cloud said he’s been friends with Fincke for the past seven or eight years.
“I’ve asked him, ‘What are you going to do now?’” Cloud said. “He’s really calm, and he has a comeback for everything. You can’t get underneath Jeff’s skin, nothing bothers him.”
Rex Bourland, a longtime Fincke friend, said Jeff “is a fine fisherman and a lot of fun to fish with, and he’s a sly poker player.”
Brian Webb, county EMS administrator, has known Fincke for the past 34 years.
“He gave me my opportunity to be a part of the Kendall County EMS in 1990, first as a volunteer then as a paid staff,” Webb said.
“His actions spoke louder than words sometimes, like how to remain calm on-scene, and how to handle a scene,” Webb explained. “He’ll be watching the whole scene, taking things in, and will make suggestions to get things moving along.”
Webb stepped into the Kendall County EMS administrator position in 2020, having been assistant administrator since 2013.
“It’s amazing how he helped build the system, from taking the first call in 1974 ... and it progressed from a staff of all volunteers,” Webb said. “He helped initiate and create paid positions, from the ground up.”
Fincke said he plans to make more time for his grandchildren and their school activities, find some time to fish and go traveling with his wife, Lori, “if we decide to just get up and go, you never know.”
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