In final battle, firefighter ‘gave it all to this city’
Memorial honors HFD captain’s faith, courage, call to duty
Jacki Dowling’s husband had gone to work that day like so many others in his 13 years with the Houston Fire Department.
Then came the text messages. There’d been a bad fire. An accident. She rushed to the hospital.
On Wednesday, as she stood near her husband’s casket before hundreds of mourners, Dowling described the moment nearly four years ago when she realized her life had changed forever — when firefighters at the hospital handed over her husband’s duffel bag.
“That’s when I really lost it,” she said. “Everything in my life I knew would never be the same.”
Dowling relived the memories at a service celebrating the life of Capt. William “Iron Bill” Dowling, who died last week in Colorado from complications suffered in a 2013 fire that also killed four other firefighters.
In a solemn service full of pomp and ceremony at Houston
Baptist University, Dowling’s family and friends remembered the captain’s determination, faith and fighting spirit. And, once again, they mourned the others killed at the southwest Houston motel: Capt. Matthew Renaud, 35; Engine Operator Robert Bebee, 41; and firefighters Robert Garner, 29, and Anne Sullivan, 24, a rookie.
Dowling’s fight to survive — after both legs were amputated and brain damage left him unable to speak — touched everyone who knew him, they said.
“He gave it all to this city and we shall be forever thankful,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said in addressing the crowd. “If this room was big enough to hold 2.2 million Houstonians, I firmly believe they would be here.”
‘No longer suffering’
Dowling, who would have turned 44 Tuesday, left behind his wife, Jacki, and their three children — Forrest, 21; Faith, 17; and Foster, 15 — and other family.
Foster Dowling recalled his father’s deep faith and devotion to his family.
“Though everyone here is mourning his passing, this is actually a time of celebration — Dad is no longer suffering,” Foster Dowling said, brushing away tears. “He has his legs again, and now he’s singing and dancing on the streets of gold with the many other firefighters who’ve gone before him.”
The memorial began with a procession about 8:45 a.m. on the chill and sunlit morning, as hundreds of Houston firefighters fell silently into line at the front of the campus’ Belin Tower below its cursive inscription: “He is the image of the invisible God.”
Escorted by dozens of firetrucks bearing black bands across the department shields and tributes to “Iron Bill,” the procession moved along the Southwest Freeway onto Fondren before arriving at HBU’s Morris Cultural Arts Center.
‘Fought heroically’
Bagpipes led the way as a firefighter carried an empty fire helmet near the head of the procession. Bystanders stood along the roadway watching and waving as the flag-draped casket passed by.
Inside, the firetruck-red coffin sat amid Dowling’s firefighting gear and U.S. Marine Corps uniform, as one after another of his former comrades spoke of his valor.
“Bill’s heroism went beyond his service to the city. He fought as hard for his family, faith and friends as on any incident on the firetruck,” said Marty Lancton, president of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association IAFF Local 341. “And he fought heroically for nearly four years. To survive the devastating injuries he endured, it has not been easy for him, or for Jacki, Forrest, Faith, and Foster.”
Lancton joined Roy McGhee with the International Association of Fire Fighters, in presenting Jacki Dowling with the organization’s Medal of Honor, given to more than 2,900 families of firefighters who have died over the last 27 years.
“When we use words like courage, duty and service, we will be reminded of Bill and the inspiration he gave all of us,” McGhee said. “You have answered the final bell. You have served us well. Thank you for the gift of your life … May you rest in peace.”
Terry Garrison, who was Houston fire chief at the time of the fire, said Dowling had exemplified bravery and leadership.
“The call came in and without hesitation, Dowling led his company into what would be the most horrific and tragic day in the history of the Houston Fire Department,” said Garrison, now chief of the Glendale Fire Department in Arizona. “I’m certain Bill never paused or thought about his personal safety but rather his focus was on his mission at hand, protecting firefighters and saving lives.”
Dowling was among the early responders to the five-alarm fire at the Southwest Inn motel and restaurant on May 31, 2013. As he and others looked inside for people who may have been trapped in the blaze, the roof collapsed on top of them. Four firefighters died at the scene and 15 were injured.
It took firefighters 45 minutes to extract Dowling from the burning wreckage.
Dowling battled to recover, first at his home in Spring and then in Colorado, where the family moved last year.
He died from pneumonia on March 7.
Nearly 200 firefighters from across the state and Oklahoma traveled to Houston to man the city’s fire stations so local crews could attend the memorial.
Six first responders from Sugar Land joined a dozen Houston volunteers in covering the 24-hour shift at Station 68, where Dowling had been based.
Call for volunteers
Even as they responded to calls for service, the crew manning Station 68 gathered around a television to watch the service.
Near the donated doughnuts sitting on the long wooden table, a plaque on the wall listed every Station 68 crew member who responded to the deadly 2013 fire.
Black memorial ribbons hung from the plaques with the names of the two from Station 68 who died that day, though a third ribbon had not yet been added for the captain of their engine company.
Local 341 had asked other departments to send volunteers to cover the shift, a tradition whenever a firefighter dies in the line of duty.
“As soon as that message comes through, it’s an instant response and we step up,” said Sugar Land Fire Capt. Randy Bates.
“It’s been a typical firestation day,” he said, “[and] a very emotional day for us all.”
Back at HBU, the service ended with the traditional ringing of a bell to mark the death of a fallen firefighter and the keening of bagpipes.