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The 23-year veteran of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire, Captain Jimmy Ellis of Station 32 in Deutschtown passed away at Allegheny General Hospital with his loving family and friends by his side on Wednesday, July 13, city officials told Daily Voice.
Ellis not only worked in Pittsburgh but was "a renowned instructor known across the country," as the Leetsdale fire department said in a statement. "He was passionate about passing his knowledge along to other firefighter's. When taking one of his classes, if he was teaching about a subject he didn't learn what to say out of a book. If he taught it he had done it. For this we will be forever grateful. One of the real travesty's of Jimmy's passing is that there are many younger firefighter's that will never have the opportunity to be instructed by this phenomenal man."
"Jimmy Ellis was a 'firefighter's firefighter', a devoted family man, and the consummate professional. He was an asset not only to the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire, but to the American Fire Service, having trained firefighters both nationally and internationally. Captain Ellis was also a military veteran and he spent three years with the Wilkinsburg Fire Department before joining Pittsburgh Fire, to become a respected mentor and lifelong friend to many in the Bureau. He will be deeply missed. Rest with God Captain, we will take it from here," says Ellis's former Fire Chief, Darryl Jones.
"I want to thank Captain Ellis for his dedication to service, family, and community for more than two decades," Mayor Ed Gainey said in a statement on Twitter. "My deepest condolences to his family and the entire Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire. May his memory be a blessing for all who knew and loved him."
Ellis is survived by his wife, children, extended family, coworkers, and students throughout the world.
Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later time.
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