CASTLE HILLS, Texas – A Castle Hills firefighter is hanging up his helmet after 37 years of service to the city.
Capt. David Duggan, who joined the fire department in 1980, was one of the youngest members of his crew at only 21 years old. Now he’s leaving as the oldest at 60.
“Things that occurred and were changing when I got in have come back around, so it's coming full circle for me,” he said.
Duggan was one of the original members of the Texas Taskforce One, a search and rescue operation created after the Oklahoma City bombing. He was deployed to New York City after the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11, to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina and elsewhere after other disasters as part of that team for 12 years.
He said firefighting became second nature to him.
Castle Hills Fire Chief Darrell Dover said Duggan was like a mentor to many in the department, including him.
“There's things he knows you can’t teach in the fire academy,” Dover said. “There's no book that will tell you, ‘You've done it this way, now try it this way.’”
Duggan retired on Aug. 4. He stopped by to pay his old family a quick visit Tuesday and was honored by the City Council with a proclamation and gift for his years of service.
“The things I remember most are the guys I worked with, the guys that passed away,” he said.
Duggan is ready for a slower pace, but he’s not ready to give up firefighting. He’s looking to teach what he’s learned by staying connected to emergency management.