First paid chief retires from Southwest Adams County Fire Rescue - Denver Post

One year after George Ditolla Sr. helped create a volunteer fire department to serve western Adams County with no money or equipment, George Ditolla Jr. was born.

"I pretty much started and seen from a very young age the activity of the fire department," Ditolla Jr. said.

At the age of 21 Ditolla followed his father's footsteps and became a volunteer for the Southwest Adams County Fire Rescue.

In the 45 years since then, Ditolla Jr. managed to become the first paid chief, eventually turned the entire volunteer department into a funded fire district with 34 career firefighters and added a crew of paramedics and two ambulances.

On Thursday Chief Ditolla handed over the reins and retired.

"I can't say that there's something more I should have done," he said. "It went very fast though. It seems like it was 10 years ago I started."

Ditolla, 66, credits the support of his department's board members, his wife and the example from his father.

"In the old days volunteers just did it out of the goodness of their heart," Ditolla said. "They didn't have all the good fancy equipment we have now, but they made it work."

Greg Neal, the fire district's current board president, says the same about Ditolla's drive to grow the department: "He made it work."

"He obviously ran the fire department, in my opinion, as a true professional," Neal said. "George made it so easy. There were no issues. He was always within budget."

As Ditolla steps away from the profession, he said he is proud his son followed him into the career as well and is now a fire engineer in the Denver Fire Department.

In one final change for his department, which covers the area from 52nd to 92nd avenues and from Pecos Street to Sheridan Boulevard, Ditolla left arrangements for the testing of a merger with the neighboring North Washington Fire Protection District.

Their chief, Pat Laurienti, is now acting as interim chief for the Southwest Adams County Fire Rescue.

The goal is to save money, but also to relocate stations.

"In the old days they would build stations around where the volunteers were," Ditolla said. "Now we want to have them around geographical areas where we need most coverage."

Yesenia Robles: 303-954-1372, yrobles@denverpost.com or twitter.com/yeseniarobles

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