Alton Fire Department multi-generational firefighter, captain retires
"Dad was a firefighter," said Capt.
While working there, AFD hired him on
The elder Quigley had joined the department in 1969, retired
When
"The second night on the job we had three houses on fire on
Nine months later, two firefighters were killed.
"I was called in, there was a callout to all personnel," Quigley said.
Capt.
In another incident he related Monday, Quigley responded to a call to East
"One was still trapped in the cockpit and had to be cut out," he said.
Cradling his soot-stained, red captain's hat he no longer needs to wear, he said another memory was when a small bomb was found in a building at the
"They called in a bomb team from
Quigley moved up to engineer on
"You see some pretty tragic things with relatives and friends and kids of co-workers," he said. "Being on the job 24 years, you are going to see some tragic things. You have guys you trust your life with and they trust theirs' with you. It's been a terrific job, one job I've been blessed to have -- to get up in the morning and look forward to going to work."
Chief
"I'd like to thank Tim for serving the city of
Sebold credited Quigley for streamlining AFD's building safety inspection process in light of a reduced staff.
"We do more than 1,000 building inspections annually," he said. "We did have 16 to 21 captains, and now we have 13 captains."
Quigley had left shift work in 2014 to work days to inspect large commercial facilities and school buildings for nine months. That move freed up other firefighters to inspect smaller businesses while still being on calls for service. Sebold said redeveloping the inspection program helped
"Tim's role in that was definitely instrumental," Sebold said.
Capt.
Quigley said he had planned on retiring next year, after serving 25 years, but being diagnosed with throat cancer and undergoing surgery convinced him he needed to focus on getting well. He plans to fish, camp and enjoy time with his two daughters and seven grandchildren while tending to his health. Quigley and his wife, Deborah, of nearly 35 years, live on a four-acre spread in
"I don't have another job" lined up, he said.
Because of his health, Quigley's last day on the job was
Sebold said AFD likely would not hire a new firefighter until September, just before the next academy session begins at the
Reach
___
(c)2016 The Telegraph (Alton, Ill.)
Visit The Telegraph (Alton, Ill.) at www.thetelegraph.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Feds: Chenault-Fattah recording could expose her to ‘criminal liability’
Subrogation and Desk Reviews Now Processed Through PDA Xpress Platform
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News