PITTSBURGH — It was a somber and emotional memorial service for the man who was the battalion chief at the Pittsburgh Fire Bureau station in East Liberty.
Friends and fellow firefighters gathered at St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland to remember and honor John Walsh’s dedication to his profession. The Battalion Chief who died in the line of duty made an indelible mark on the Fire Bureau.
The hearse carrying the body of Walsh left the funeral home in Scott Township and drove under a huge American flag draped between two fire trucks.
The procession arrived at St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland just before 10 a.m., where firefighters lined the steps to the Cathedral to pay their last respects as bagpipes played in the background.
During the service, Walsh was remembered for his calm and commanding presence.
He was described as a “real fireman’s chief,” who made a difference in the bureau.
“His attitude, his command presence, his way of being a tactician, and technician on the fire ground. That’s something we can all learn from,” Pittsburgh Fire Chief Darryl Jones said.
A friend remembered Walsh as committed to get the job done and would do anything to help anyone.
“This was very sad, an unexpected death, a line of duty death, very, very sad. His character was the best ever, a no nonsense chief but loved by everybody. His personality would light up a room,” said John Albenese, a volunteer firefighter who knew Walsh for years and said Walsh was his mentor.
The International Association of Firefighters honored Walsh by presenting his wife with the medal of honor.
At the end of the funeral mass, his final end of watch call echoed over the radio.
Walsh often attended funeral services for other fallen firefighters across the country. Today, firefighters returned the favor.
They came from as far away as New York, Cleveland and Philadelphia.
“To support my brothers in the Pittsburgh Fire Department. I never met the chief, but he would do it for me,” said Mark Erlacher, a retired firefighter who drove in from Philadelphia today just to attend the funeral.
Walsh was with the Fire Bureau for 37 years.
In 1994, he suffered severe burns after coming into contact with live electrical wires while fighting a fire on the South Side. He fought his way back to work.
It’s a lesson in perseverance the Bureau won’t soon forget.
“We have a task to continue to honor him, to grow upon what he left us, the resilience that he showed by coming back to work after being so severely injured,” Chief Jones said.
Walsh is survived by his wife of 36 years, his parents and siblings.
His father is a retired Pittsburgh Firefighter.
Walsh was buried during a private ceremony at a cemetery near Gibsonia.
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