Captain David Dzurnak retires from fire department
After more than 37 years of shifts, the Morgantown Fire Department’s Capt. David Dzurnak finished his last one Thursday morning.
Dzurnak said he wants to travel more when the COVID-19 pandemic allows, and he’s vaccinated. He wants to visit his son in Ocean City, Md., more, spend more time with two grandkids in Morgantown and has a trip planned to South Dakota next year.
One day, he’d like to take his wife back to Germany, where she was born while her father was stationed as a service member.
He’s going to miss his guys though.
“The fire department’s the best job that you could even ask for,” Dzurnak said. “I’ve always enjoyed coming to work. I don’t think I complained having to come to work. There’s always something different to do usually every day. And I enjoyed helping the people, making their day maybe a little less stressful for them if they called us. That we can help them, give them a little ease, things like that.”
Before joining the MFD, Dzurnak was a volunteer firefighter in Uniontown, Pa. Dzurnak, 62, was the longest-serving member of the department, out-dating even Chief Mark Caravasos.
“I’ve run more calls than I care to think about with him,” Caravasos said. “He’s gonna be missed. That’s a lot of experience, a lot of knowledge leaving the department.”
As one of three operational captains, Dzurnak oversaw a platoon, its equipment and its station, Caravasos said. He was part of the command team and the incident commander on most calls.
A civil service promotion exam will be held to determine his replacement.
Derek Porter, a firefighter on Dzurnak’s crew, praised his leadership. He was selfless, clear about doing what was right and not doing what was popular.
“He has really held true to making sure that us under him understand rules and the right way to work,” Porter said. “He’s been a true pleasure to work under. I think all of our guys that are on C crew can agree, the other guys that have worked for him, can absolutely say that we hope to carry on the legacy of doing the right thing and living true to Dave Dzurnak’s name.”
After being presented with a shadow box, containing the front plate of his helmet, an axe, a plaque, and a flag that flew over a station for a week, Dzurnak thanked everyone and said it was a pleasure working with them at the best job there is.
After a brief pause, “That’s about all.”
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