Second Generation Pittsburgh Fire Fighter Passes the Baton to Son

April 15, 2010 – After serving 41 years as a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, fire fighter and member of Pittsburgh Local 1, James Dolan has retired. Fire fighting spans three generations in the Dolan family, beginning with his father James and continuing with his son Jimmy.

“Dolan was one of our best fire fighters and active union members,” says Local 1 President Joe King. “We will definitely miss not seeing him every day.”

Dolan became a fire fighter in 1968. He followed in his father’s footsteps, immediately becoming known for his ability to stay calm in any situation. “It’s true,” says his son, Local 1 fire fighter Jimmy Dolan. “He’s always level-headed. I’ve never seen him rattled, even at home.”

But even those who seem unflappable remember emergency calls that will forever affect them. “Over the years, I responded to a lot of serious emergencies, but the ones where we lost fire fighters in the line of duty are the ones I will never forget,” he says.

Most recently, in 2004, Pittsburgh Local 1 fire fighters Charles Brace and Richard Stefanakis were killed responding to a church fire. Three hours into the incident, the two were among those trying to extinguish the remaining hot spots when the bell tower collapsed. Previously, three fire fighters – Thomas Brooks, Patricia Conroy and Marc Kolenda – perished in a house fire after a stairwell collapsed.

Over the course of his career, Dolan was not only a respected fire fighter, but he was also a dedicated union man. He served nearly 20 years on Local 1’s executive board and was part of the local’s negotiating team. “During one contract negotiation in the early 90s, we were able to get a safe staffing clause because we were able to prove that due to low staffing, our injury rate was four times the national average. That was important for us,” says Dolan.

March 30, 2010, was Dolan’s last day on the job. He says the fact that he is retired really has not sunk in yet, but he plans to spend more time with his wife Peg, his children Jimmy, Michael and Jennifer and his six grandchildren.