(Photo: Courtesy of NOFD)
Tim McConnell, the New Orleans Fire Superintendent whose department spent the last year responding to the Hard Rock Hotel collapse and recovering the last two workers who were killed, will retire on Friday after 36 years with the department.
McConnell will be honored with a retirement ceremony at 4 p.m., when he takes his final walk as New Orleans Fire chief.
The announcement came on Wednesday from New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who praised McConnell in a statement. McConnell became NOFD Chief in 2013.
“For the past seven years as Chief, he has guided the New Orleans Fire Department through a historic period of transformation, focusing on fire prevention on the front-end and ensuring his firefighters are given the pay and benefits they deserve,” Cantrell said. “His dedication and drive have made New Orleans a safer place to live.”
Read Cantrell’s full statement here.