‘You carry a lot with you’: Pittsburgh Fire Chief Darryl Jones sits down with 4 The Record
Host Janelle Hall speaks with Darryl Jones about his nearly four decades as an emergency responder in the region
FOR THE RECORD, I’M JANELLE HALL. TODAY. I SPEAK WITH ONE OF PITTSBURGH’S TOP EMERGENCY RESPONDERS, BUREAU OF FIRE CHIEF DARRYL JONES TAKES ME THROUGH HIS CAREER AND TALKS ABOUT CHALLENGES HE’S FACED ALONG THE WAY. FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER HAD THE CHANCE TO MEET YOU, YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF WHAT, MORE THAN 600 FIREFIGHTERS? YES, ABOUT 712 FIREFIGHTERS, INCLUDING THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH AND NOW WILKINSBURG. YES. WHAT’S THE HARDEST AND THE BEST PART OF YOUR JOB? THE BEST PART OF THE JOB IS DEALING WITH THE PEOPLE. AND THE HARDEST PART OF THE JOB IS TRYING TO. HELP PEOPLE MANAGE THE TRAGEDY THAT THEY MAY HAVE SUFFERED. SO BEING EMPATHETIC IS A BIG PART OF THE JOB. IT’S A BIG PART OF WHAT ANY FIRST RESPONDER MUST DO, MUST BE. AND BUT SOMETIMES IT’S DIFFICULT. YOU CARRY A LOT WITH YOU BECAUSE THE TRAUMA THAT THEY’RE GOING THROUGH SPILLS OVER IT CAN CAUSE SOME, SOME DIFFICULTIES FOR YOU AS WELL. SO OFTEN ON THE NEWS, WE SEE THE FLAMES AND WE SEE THE FIREFIGHTERS GO IN. BUT IT’S YOU THAT ARE THERE TO FIRSTHAND SEE THE PAIN. AS YOU MENTIONED, YOU AND THE FIREFIGHTERS WHO ARE THE ONES TRYING TO SAVE SOMEONE’S HOME, WHICH IS SUCH AN EMOTIONAL THING. IT IS. AND ESPECIALLY YOU FIGURED YOU HAVE EVERYTHING THAT. YOU. ALL YOUR WORLDLY POSSESSIONS, ALL THE VALUABLES IN YOUR HOME. AND IT MIGHT NOT BE SOMETHING MONETARY LIKE JEWELRY, BUT PICTURES OF GRANDPARENTS AND GREAT GRANDPARENTS AND OTHER RELATIVES AND OTHER MEMORABILIA, MEMENTOS THAT YOU WERE THINKING ABOUT AND THAT YOU CHERISHED. AND HERE THEY ARE. THEY’RE GONE. SO WE TAKE THAT SERIOUSLY. WE KNOW IT’S A TRAUMATIC EVENT, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE TAKING CARE OF YOU, THE PERSON, THE CONSTITUENT THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH OUR CUSTOMER. AND WE ALSO HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES. YEAH. YOU KNOW, I WASN’T SURE WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO SAY ABOUT THAT IN TERMS OF MAYBE, MAYBE THE MOST DIFFICULT WOULD BE MANAGING THE PEOPLE. BUT I THINK IT’S REFRESHING FOR PEOPLE TO HEAR THAT, THAT EMPATHY IS STILL THERE AFTER ALL THIS TIME. YOU’VE BEEN IN THIS FOR, WHAT, FOUR DECADES, ALMOST FOUR DECADES. SO 40 YEARS? YES, ALMOST ABOUT 39 YEARS NOW. SO TAKE ME BACK TO HOW IT ALL STARTED. ALIQUIPPA. RIGHT. ALIQUIPPA. YEAH. SO I JUST GOTTEN OUT OF THE SERVICE AND I WAS WORKING AS A SECURITY GUARD AT THE NUCLEAR POWER STATION, WHICH WAS I FELT I HAD MORE VALUE THAN THAT. MY JOB WAS TO SIT THERE AT A SECTION OF FENCE WITH A RADIO AND A THREE RING BINDER THAT HAD SOME POST ORDERS IN IT, A NIGHTSTICK AND A LITTLE THING OF MACE LIKE YOU MIGHT CARRY ON YOUR KEYCHAIN. AND THAT SECTION OF FENCE IS WHERE THE ALARM DIDN’T WORK. SO IT WAS MY JOB WAS TO SCREAM IN THE RADIO THAT TERRORISTS OR SOMEBODY WAS COMING OVER THE FENCE BEFORE THEY KILLED ME, RIGHT? SO YEAH, IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG TO FIGURE OUT THAT THIS WASN’T THE PLACE FOR ME. SO THE ALIQUIPPA FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS TESTING, AND I TOOK THE TEST AND GOT HIRED. AND I NEVER IN MY LIFE THOUGHT I’D BE A FIREFIGHTER. MY GOAL WAS TO MAYBE DO THAT FOR ABOUT 4 TO 6 YEARS. I WANTED TO FINISH MY DEGREE AND THEN MOVE ON TO WHATEVER FUTURE I THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE. AND I HAD TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERCEPTION OF FIREFIGHTERS. I SAID, YEAH, WHAT’S A GREAT JOB I COULD WHILE THEY’RE SITTING AROUND WATCHING TV AND PLAYING CHECKERS, I CAN BE STUDYING, AND EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE YOU GET TO DRIVE THE TRUCK FAST. HOW COOL IS THAT? AND THAT WAS MY FRAME OF MIND WHEN I TESTED QUICKLY CHANGED, QUICKLY CHANGED. WHY DID THAT? WHY AND HOW DID THAT QUICKLY CHANGE? WELL, ON OCTOBER THE 10TH OF 1987, I HAD A STRUCTURAL FIRE WHERE I LOST THREE KIDS AND I WAS ON THE JOB FULL TIME FOR ABOUT TWO MONTHS. AT THAT TIME. AND IT CHANGED MY LIFE. HERE I WAS IN ALIQUIPPA, THIS TOWN THAT WAS STRUGGLING ECONOMICALLY TOO, BECAUSE THE MILLS HAD CLOSED AND THERE WAS ALL THIS. AND ALIQUIPPA TECHNICALLY COULDN’T AFFORD TO HAVE A CAREER DEPARTMENT, BUT COULDN’T AFFORD NOT TO HAVE ONE. AND I FELT THAT BECAUSE I DIDN’T DO MY JOB, I DIDN’T RESCUE THOSE CHILDREN, THAT I FELT THOSE CHILDREN, MY FAMILY, MYSELF AND MY COMMUNITY. IT WAS LIKE I SAID, IT WAS A LIFE CHANGING EVENT. SO MY PENDULUM SWUNG FROM THAT POINT ON. I BECAME A STUDENT OF THE FIRE SERVICE AND FIREFIGHTING. I EVENTUALLY DID FINISH MY BACHELOR’S DEGREE AND DID MY MASTER’S AND THEN MY DOCTORATE. I AM ADAMANT ABOUT RISK REDUCTION AND FIRE PREVENTION, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO CHILDREN. I LOST A LOT OF CHILDREN IN MY CAREER, AND I FEEL EACH AND EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM, EACH AND EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM, EVEN THOUGH SOME OF THEM I DIDN’T KNOW, YOU KNOW, BUT IT’S VERY PAINFUL. AND THAT’S THAT’S WHAT DRIVES ME. THAT WAS MY MOTIVATION. SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK FOR SOME PEOPLE THAT MIGHT BE SO TRAUMATIC THAT THEY WOULD TURN AWAY FROM THE CAREER AND MAYBE LOOK ELSEWHERE. WHAT MADE YOU STAY IN STUBBORNNESS? AND I, I REMEMBER I WAS STRUGGLING REALLY HARD WITH IT. I WAS GOING DOWN A PATH THAT OF DESTRUCTION. IT WAS COMING. I SOUGHT COUNSELING, MY COUNSELORS WERE JACK DANIELS AND JIM BEAM. SO. NOT VERY PRODUCTIVE, BUT THEY DID NUMB THE PAIN. YOU KNOW? AND ONE DAY MY DAD GRABBED ME AND SAID, WE NEED TO HAVE A TALK, YOU KNOW? AND HE USED TO WHEN WE WERE KIDS GROWING UP, HE WOULD SAY, COME ON IN THE BASEMENT. I NEED TO HAVE A TALK WITH YOU. THAT MEANS YOU WERE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE. SO YOU WOULD JUST START CRYING, TAKING THOSE STEPS EXTRA SLOW, RIGHT? YEAH. SO NOW HERE I AM, 27 YEARS OLD, AND I’M A MARINE CORPS VETERAN, AND MY DAD SAYS, COME ON IN THE BASEMENT. WE NEED TO TALK. AND I’M THINKING THINGS AREN’T GOING TO WORK OUT THE WAY YOU THINK THEY ARE DOWN HERE. BUT I WENT DOWN AND MY DAD WAS A VERY STRONG INDIVIDUAL. BOTH MY PARENTS WERE, AND HE HAD ONE OF THOSE TALKS WITH ME THAT ONLY A FATHER CAN HAVE WITH A SON. AND IT WAS HE HE JUST TOLD ME, HE SAYS, THESE ARE THE RULES OF THE GAME. THIS IS THE WAY THINGS WORK. YOU CAN PLAY TO WIN, OR YOU CAN JUST ROLL OVER AND DIE, HE SAYS. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOUR CHOICE IS, AND I WANT TO KNOW RIGHT NOW. SO I SAID, WELL, I CHOOSE TO FIGHT AND WIN. HE SAYS, OKAY, THEN DEVELOP THE PLAN. SO THE PLAN WAS FROM THAT POINT ON, HOW CAN I PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING? AND. YOU NEVER KNOW THE SUCCESS YOU HAVE WHEN YOU’RE DOING FIRE PREVENTION. SO I SEE THESE YOUNG KIDS SOMETIME AND THEY THEY COME IN, THEY WANT TO BE THE FIRE. WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE IN THE FIRE SERVICE? I WANT TO SAVE LIVES. YOU KNOW? OKAY. YOU WANT TO BE IN FIRE PREVENTION. AND WHAT? YEAH, BECAUSE IT’S NOT LIKE CHICAGO FIRE. I’VE BEEN ON HERE NEARLY 40 YEARS. I HAVE ONE PERSON THAT I’VE PULLED OUT OF A FIRE THAT’S STILL ALIVE AND WALKING AROUND THE DAY RECOVERED A LOT OF BODIES, BUT ONLY ONE. SO IT DOESN’T HAPPEN VERY OFTEN, YOU KNOW. BUT NO ONE KNOWS THE THE. OUTREACH OR THE EXTENT OF EFFECTIVENESS OF A FIRE PREVENTION BECAUSE NO ONE CALLS 911 SAYS I ALMOST HAD A FIRE, BUT BECAUSE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS HERE AND THEY TALKED TO ME, IT DIDN’T HAPPEN. SO IT’S HARD TO QUANTIFY. SO THEREFORE NOBODY KNOWS WHAT THE OUTCOME IS. I JUST HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT THE EFFORTS THAT’S BEEN PUT IN BY MY PEOPLE HERE IN THE CITY AND THOSE WHO I HAD LEFT BEHIND IN ALIQUIPPA IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE. SO YOU GREW UP IN ALIQUIPPA, SERVED ALIQUIPPA. WALK ME THROUGH HOW YOU ENDED UP IN PITTSBURGH. SO. I WAS TEASING CHIEF MIKE HUSS. HE WAS THE FIRE CHIEF BACK THEN. I SAW HIM SOMEWHERE AT A MEETING OR REGIONAL MEETING OR SOMETHING, AND I WAS TEASING HIM ABOUT SOMETHING, AND HE SAYS, YOU KNOW. I’M PROBABLY GOING TO BE LOOKING FOR AN ASSISTANT CHIEF, AND I’M OKAY. SO I DIDN’T PAY ANY ATTENTION. BUT THEN THE. MOUNT LEBANON, THEIR CHIEF DARKANGELO, HAD RETIRED AND THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A NEW CHIEF. SO I APPLIED, YOU KNOW, JUST TO SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN. AND I WENT THROUGH THEIR PROCESS. AND MIKE HUSS WAS ONE OF THE EVALUATORS GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS. SO HE GETS DONE WITH THE PROCESS. HE SAYS THEY’RE PROBABLY NOT GOING TO HIRE YOU HERE. NO BIG SURPRISE. OKAY. HE GOES, BUT I’M GOING TO BE LOOKING FOR AN ASSISTANT CHIEF, SO KEEP THAT IN MIND. SO THAT WAS THE SECOND TIME HE HAD MENTIONED IT. I SAID, ALL RIGHT, I WAS TEACHING A CLASS TO THE JEFFERSON HILLS VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND ONE OF THE STUDENTS THERE, YOUNG GUY, HAD HIS COMPUTER LAPTOP UP, AND HE SAYS, WOW, PITTSBURGH’S LOOKING FOR AN ASSISTANT CHIEF. AND SO I WALK OVER, I LOOK OVER HIS SHOULDER, I SAID, YEAH, I SAID. EVERYBODY TAKE A TEN MINUTE BREAK. I PUSHED HIM OUT THE WAY, SAT DOWN AT HIS LAPTOP, COMPLETED THE APPLICATION, AND THAT’S HOW I ENDED UP IN PITTSBURGH. COME ON. IN JULY OF 2007, AS AN ASSISTANT CHIEF, AND IN SEPTEMBER OF THAT YEAR, I WAS ELEVATED TO CHIEF. NOW, EVERY TIME THAT GUY SEES ME, HE’S A LOT OLDER NOW. HE GOES, YOU OWE ME, GUY. AND I’M LIKE, YEAH, I OWE YOU, ALL RIGHT? ESPECIALLY IF IT’S BEEN A BAD DAY. I LIKE THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, RIGHT? STILL AHEAD ON FOR THE RECORD, FIRE CHIEF DARRYL JONES TALKS ABOUT SOME OF THE TOUGHEST EMERGENCY RESPONSES HE’S SEEN AND WHY ONE WASN’T A FIRE. WELCOME BACK TO. FOR THE RECORD, IN THE NEXT PART OF MY INTERVIEW WITH PITTSBURGH BUREAU OF FIRE CHIEF DARRYL JONES, I ASKED HIM ABOUT SOME OF THE MOST DIFFICULT EMERGENCY SITUATIONS HE’S FACED. WHAT HAS BEEN ONE OF THE TOUGHEST FIRE THAT YOU’VE EXPERIENCED FROM A MANAGERIAL STANDPOINT IN THE CITY? OH, THERE’S BEEN A COUPLE. ONE OF THE EVENTS THAT CAME UP THAT’S WAS THE MIDTOWN TOWERS FIRE, WHICH WAS A FATAL FIRE. DON’T REMEMBER THE EXACT YEAR, MAYBE 2018 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. WE LOST ONE PERSON IN THAT FIRE. AND THE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION, THE HIGH RISE FIRES LIKE THAT, THEY’RE DESIGNED TO CONTAIN FIRES FOR ABOUT AN HOUR TO THREE HOURS, DEPENDING ON THE RATING. AND THIS ONE DIDN’T CONTAIN FIRE FOR ANYTHING. IT’S JUMPING FLOORS. AND I’M THINKING, WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON? THEN I HEAR A MAYDAY CALL, AND THE MAYDAY IS WHEN A FIREFIGHTER IS IN TROUBLE AND HE CALLS FOR MAYDAY. AND THAT PUTS A WHOLE NEW, DIFFERENT SPIN AND STRESS ON THE INCIDENT COMMANDER AND THE REST OF THE TEAM, BECAUSE THEY’RE GOING TO GO GET THEIR OWN. AND YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE YOU MANAGE THIS PROPERLY, BECAUSE WHILE EVERYBODY’S RUNNING TO ASSIST THE FIREFIGHTER, THE FIRE STILL DOING ITS THING, YOU KNOW, SO WE DIDN’T HAVE JUST ONE. WE HAD TWO OF THOSE TWO MAYDAY CALLS DURING THE COURSE OF THAT FIRE. AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE THE THINGS THAT PROMPTED ME TO SAY THAT THESE RESIDENTIAL HIGH RISES SHOULD BE RETROFITTED WITH SPRINKLERS, WHICH THAT ORDINANCE DIDN’T GAIN ANY TRACTION. BUT THAT’S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I BELIEVE THAT OTHER THAN FIRES, I THINK THE OTHER MAJOR CALL THAT WAS VERY STRESSFUL TO ME WAS FOR THE TREE OF LIFE SHOOTING. I WAS WITH MY FAMILY AT THE UNION HALL BECAUSE FIREFIGHTERS WAS DOING THEIR COATS FOR KIDS CAMPAIGN, WHERE THEY WERE GIVING WINTER COATS AND HATS AND GLOVES, AND MY FAMILY AT THE TIME LOVED TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT. AND SO I GET A PHONE CALL FROM MY DEPUTY CHIEF THAT THERE’S AN ACTIVE SHOOTER IN SQUIRREL HILL. SO I SAID, WELL, TEXT ME THE THE ADDRESS AND I FIND A RIDE FOR MY FAMILY TO GET HOME. I JUMPED IN MY CAR AND I CALLED. MY BOSS AT THE TIME WAS PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR WENDELL HISSRICH. I CALLED HIM, HE WAS OUT OF TOWN. I DID HE KNOW ABOUT THIS? HE SAID, YEAH, HE’S FOUR HOURS OUT. SO I GET UP THERE ON SCENE. ANOTHER PERSON FROM PUBLIC SAFETY COMES UP TO ME AND SAYS, WENDELL’S OUT OF TOWN. I SAID, YEAH, I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH HIM. HE’S FOUR HOURS OUT AND HE GOES, WELL, HIS DEPUTIES OUT OF TOWN TOO. AND I’M LIKE, EXCUSE ME? WE MEAN, HOW? WHY? WELL, THEY DIDN’T KNOW THAT WENDELL WAS OUT OF TOWN. SO RIGHT THEN I TURNED AROUND AND MAYBE FROM HERE TO THAT CAMERA OVER THERE IS MAYOR PEDUTO CHIEF OF STAFF, DAN GILMAN, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS GUY ACOSTA. ALL LOOKING AT ME LIKE, YOU KNOW THIS, I CALL IT THE BABY YODA. LOOK, RIGHT? AND I SAID, PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR’S OUT OF TOWN. I’M ACTING PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR. I’LL HAVE INCIDENT COMMAND. AND SO I ASSUME COMMAND AT THAT INCIDENT. NOW, I AM NOT A POLICE OFFICER. I’M NOT A SWAT TEAM MEMBER. I’M A MARINE. SO IF YOU GIVE ME A WEAPON, I CAN SHOOT IT. BUT THAT’S NOT MY JOB HERE. SO MY JOB AS INCIDENT COMMANDER WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE POLICE HAD WHAT THEY NEEDED TO GET THEIR JOB DONE, AND TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY IF ANYTHING WENT WRONG HERE. SO THAT’S WHAT I DID. I WAS THERE FOR MAYBE 4 OR 5 HOURS BEFORE. THE DIRECTOR HAS SHOWED UP, IN WHICH CASE I TRANSFERRED COMMAND OVER TO HIM AND JUST WATCHING THEM BRING THE INJURED PEOPLE OUT WAS JUST UNBELIEVABLE. AND HEARING THE GUNFIGHT GOING ON INSIDE THE BUILDING FROM OUTSIDE, YOU KNOW, AND THE THE FIRE, THE RETURN FIRE AND KUDOS TO THE MEDICS WHO WHEN THIS GUY COMES OUT, THEY STILL DIDN’T TREAT HIM AS IF HE WAS A BAD GUY. THEY TREATED HIM, TOOK HIM AND SAVED HIS LIFE. YOU KNOW, KUDOS TO THE MEDICS FOR THAT. KUDOS TO LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR WHAT THEY DID. AND WHILE I’M STANDING THERE RIGHT AFTER, I ASSUME COMMAND, MAYBE TEN MINUTES LATER, MY CELL PHONE RINGS AND IT HAS THIS WEIRD NUMBER ON IT, AND I DON’T KNOW, LIKE, SO I JUST ANSWERED, CHIEF JONES, CAN I HELP YOU? AND IT’S HEAVY. ACCENT AND VOICE. IS HEAVY. JEWISH ACCENT. YOU KNOW, CHIEF JONES, MY NAME I DON’T REMEMBER. AND HE WAS CALLING ME FROM JERUSALEM BECAUSE HE HAD FAMILY MEMBERS HERE IN PITTSBURGH WHO ATTENDED THE TREE OF LIFE AND WANTED TO KNOW IF I HAD ANY INFORMATION. AND I’M LIKE, HOW DID YOU GET THIS NUMBER? BUT THAT’S NOT IMPORTANT. AND I TOLD HIM, I SAID, I DON’T HAVE ANY INFORMATION NOW, BUT THAT DID TRIGGER THAT WE’RE GOING TO HAVE FAMILY MEMBERS AND THEY’RE GOING TO NEED ASSISTANCE. AND YOU REUNIFICATION AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO THAT GAVE ME A WHOLE BRANCH OF STUFF TO WORK IN TO GET EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT INVOLVED, TO GET THE RED CROSS INVOLVED, TO BRING OTHER THINGS. SO I LET LAW ENFORCEMENT DO WHAT THEY DO. I HAD OTHER SUPPORT DOING WHAT THEY DID, BUT THAT ONE IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE MY TIME HERE IN PITTSBURGH. ONE OF MY BIGGEST CALLS THAT I HOPE IT DOESN’T GET ANY WORSE THAN THAT. STILL AHEAD, CHIEF JONES TALKS ABOUT THE EFFORTS TO BRING MORE DIVERSITY TO PITTSBURGH BUREAU OF FIRE. WELCOME BACK TO FOR THE RECORD, LET’S GO BACK NOW TO MORE FROM MY INTERVIEW WITH PITTSBURGH BUREAU OF FIRE CHIEF DARRYL JONES. WE TALK ABOUT REPRESENTATION, AND I KNOW THAT YOU’VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY WITHIN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. SO BEFORE YOU TALK ABOUT THAT PART, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF YOU HAVING THIS POSITION TO LEAD THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AS A BLACK MAN, THE FIRST BLACK MAN TO LEAD THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HERE. AND THAT WAS THE FIRST THING CAME OUT OF THE REPORTER’S MOUTH THE DAY I GOT SWORN IN AS CHIEF. AND I REMEMBER MY ANSWER WAS, I HOPE TO BE REMEMBERED AS A GOOD FIRE CHIEF, AND THAT THE FACT THAT I WAS AFRICAN-AMERICAN IS JUST A SIDE NOTE. THAT IS MY GOAL. AND I’VE TRIED TO STRIVE FOR THAT. SO WE ARE IN A. AN ENVIRONMENT. UNFORTUNATELY, WHERE THE TERM DEI HAS BEEN CONVERTED INTO A FOUR LETTER WORD. AND I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY. I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ASSOCIATE DIVERSITY WITH LOWERING OF STANDARDS. AND THAT’S NOT TRUE. AS MIKE TOMLIN SAYS, THE STANDARD IS THE STANDARD. I’M NOT TRYING TO LOWER THE STANDARDS. I’M TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO REALIZE WHAT A GREAT JOB THIS IS AND WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY IT IS, AND WHAT A GREAT CAREER IT IS. DO YOU WANT TO MAKE A GOOD LIVING? WE HAVE THAT. OUR GUYS WORK 24 ON AND 72 OFF. THAT MEANS THEY ONLY SCHEDULED MAYBE EIGHT DAYS A MONTH. THAT GIVES YOU 22 DAYS TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, GO BACK TO SCHOOL, SPEND IT WITH YOUR FAMILY, GET ANOTHER PART TIME JOB, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO THAT YOU HAVE THAT TIME. WE HAVE GREAT BENEFITS, ALL RIGHT? AND THE SALARY IS VERY COMPETITIVE. SO WHY NOT COME OVER AND GIVE THIS A SHOT? AND TRUE, IT’S NOT MEANT FOR EVERYONE. BUT THERE SHOULDN’T BE ANY OBSTACLES TO ANYONE COMING ON BOARD. AND TO SAY THAT. YOU CAN’T DO IT BECAUSE YOU’RE A FEMALE IS JUST WRONG. I HAVE SEVERAL WOMEN ON THE JOB, AND I’M NOT NEARLY ENOUGH. AND I WILL GO DOWN A BURNING HALLWAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WITH THEM ON A HOSE LINE EVERY SINGLE DAY, WITHOUT FAIL, WITHOUT GIVING IT A SECOND THOUGHT. ONE, BECAUSE I KNOW THE TRAINING THAT THEY’VE HAD AND THEY’VE COMPLETED THAT TRAINING SUCCESSFULLY SO THEY KNOW WHAT THEY’RE DOING. TWO, I KNOW WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE THEY ARE COMING UP IN JUST TWO MINUTES. MY FINAL QUESTION FOR PITTSBURGH BUREAU OF FIRE CHIEF DARRYL JONES. WELCOME BACK TO FOR THE RECORD, BEFORE WE GO, I HAD ONE LAST QUESTION FOR PITTSBURGH BUREAU OF FIRE CHIEF DARRYL JONES. TAKE A LOOK. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR LIFE, YOUR LEGACY AND YOUR CAREER, HOW DO YOU HOPE TO BE REMEMBERED? WELL, I WANT TO BE KNOWN FOR BEING A GOOD FATHER. I HAVE A 15 YEAR OLD SON. THAT’S THE LOVE OF MY LIFE. AND I WANT TO BE A GOOD FATHER. AND I’M I’M LEARNING THAT THAT IS SOMEWHAT DIFFICULT. THEY DON’T. NOBODY GAVE ME ANY DIRECTIONS ON THAT. TRY TO BE LIKE MY DAD. YOU KNOW, I TAKE THAT EXAMPLE AND I TAKE MY BROTHER’S EXAMPLE. SO I’M WORKING ON THAT PART. MY LEGACY, AS FAR AS THE FIRE BUREAU GOES, THE FIRE SERVICES, I’M HOPING THAT I LEFT IT BETTER THAN I FOUND IT. THAT’S THAT’S WHAT I WANT TO DO. I WANT TO SAY THAT THE PITTSBURGH BUREAU OF FIRE IS BETTER OFF FOR HAVING ME, AS OPPOSED TO NOT ME BEING HERE. AND I GUESS HISTORY WILL WILL DETERMINE WHETHER THAT’S THE CASE OR NOT. THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY’S EDITION OF FOR THE RECORD. THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH US THIS MORNING. WE HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT WEEK. WE’LL SEE YOU AGAIN NEXT SUNDAY MORNING AT 11 A.M.
‘You carry a lot with you’: Pittsburgh Fire Chief Darryl Jones sits down with 4 The Record
Host Janelle Hall speaks with Darryl Jones about his nearly four decades as an emergency responder in the region
Updated: 11:00 AM EDT Oct 26, 2025
During Sunday morning’s edition of 4 The Record, host Janelle Hall sat down with Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire Chief Darryl Jones to discuss his nearly 40-year career.Jones was a U.S. Marine who later worked for the Aliquippa Fire Department before coming to Pittsburgh in 2007.Hall asked Jones what the best part of his job is, as well as the most difficult part.”The best part of the job is dealing with the people,” Jones said. “And the hardest part of the job is trying to help people manage the tragedy that they may have suffered.”He later added, “You carry a lot with you because the trauma that they’re going through, it spills over. It can cause some difficulties for you as well.”Jones said one of the most challenging fire scenes he encountered was the deadly fire at the Midtown Towers in Downtown Pittsburgh in 2017.But he also unexpectedly found himself playing a major role in the emergency response to the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill the following year, spending several hours as incident commander at that scene.Hall also asked Jones how he hopes to be remembered one day.”I want to be known for being a good father,” he said when discussing his 15-year-old son, whom he describes as “the love of my life.”Jones also said, “My legacy, as far as the fire bureau goes, is I’m hoping that I left it better than I found it. I want to say that the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire’s better off for having me, as opposed to me not being here. And I guess history will determine whether that’s the case.”WATCH THE FULL EPISODE OF 4 THE RECORD IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE
PITTSBURGH —
During Sunday morning’s edition of 4 The Record, host Janelle Hall sat down with Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire Chief Darryl Jones to discuss his nearly 40-year career.
Jones was a U.S. Marine who later worked for the Aliquippa Fire Department before coming to Pittsburgh in 2007.
Hall asked Jones what the best part of his job is, as well as the most difficult part.
“The best part of the job is dealing with the people,” Jones said. “And the hardest part of the job is trying to help people manage the tragedy that they may have suffered.”
He later added, “You carry a lot with you because the trauma that they’re going through, it spills over. It can cause some difficulties for you as well.”
Jones said one of the most challenging fire scenes he encountered was the deadly fire at the Midtown Towers in Downtown Pittsburgh in 2017.
But he also unexpectedly found himself playing a major role in the emergency response to the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill the following year, spending several hours as incident commander at that scene.
Hall also asked Jones how he hopes to be remembered one day.
“I want to be known for being a good father,” he said when discussing his 15-year-old son, whom he describes as “the love of my life.”
Jones also said, “My legacy, as far as the fire bureau goes, is I’m hoping that I left it better than I found it. I want to say that the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire’s better off for having me, as opposed to me not being here. And I guess history will determine whether that’s the case.”
WATCH THE FULL EPISODE OF 4 THE RECORD IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE