Chief Tim Connolly has announced his retirement after 37 years of service. He is a 1971 graduate of Assumption High School (ESL) and attended Benedict College and SIUE, where he studied Business Management. Chief Connolly joined the Granite City Fire Department in March of 1977. Through out the years, he rose through the ranks of Firefighter, Engineer and Captain. In May 2002, Capt. Connolly became Assistant Chief Connolly. After three years, he was appointed Fire Chief in 2005. During his time as Fire Chief, Chief Connolly is credited with taking the departments ISO rating from a 5 to a 3. This was done by increased training, more equipment and expanded services. He oversaw the purchase of one fire engine, one fire truck, three ALS ambulances and the creation of the Special Operations service. Chief Connolly says his most memorable experiences have been the Vandalia warehouse fire, where it burned for around a month due to the large size of the building, and working with his son, Ed Connolly. One Engineer on the job stated that Chief Connolly was the best Captain he ever had. He credits Chief Connollys aggressive firefighting tactics, sense of humor and strong leadership. Chief Connolly is head of Emergency Management for the city, is a member of the International Fire Chiefs Association, Illinois Fire Chiefs Association, MABAS 35 and the ADA board of Granite City. Chief Connolly says he will spend his retirement traveling and enjoying the company of his wife Jennifer, four kids and nine grandkids. Thank you Chief Connolly for your 37 years of service to our community! Captain Vince Martinez has been appointed to the position of Fire Chief.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 16:24:15 +0000
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