DOLLE, Lorenz A.
On May 9, 1948, Truck Co. No. 3 responded to assist the police in the 1600 block of McElderry St. There was a "demented male subject preaching from the rooftops " and the police needed Truck 3 to place the ladder to the roof so they could reach the individual and bring him down. "When the ladder touched the roofedge, the fanatical man, now worked up into a frenzy by the crowd below, grabbed the ladder, then started to slowly walk down the ladder, facing forward, as if he was walking down a flight of stairs. Second Battalion Chief Lorenz Dolle, fearing that the man would fall, climbed up the ladder to assist him. As the Chief reached out for the man's hand, the man kicked the Chief in the shoulder, knocking him off the ladder. Chief Dolle fell nearly 3 stories to the pavement below, landing on his head, and fracturing his skull. He was transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital where he died on May 10, 1948 at 1:40 a.m. It was characteristic of Chief Dolle to never send a fireman into a dangerous assignment, before going first, himself. Chief Lorenz A. Dolle was 62 years old and had served for 39 faithful years, 20 of those years as Chief.
Listing Details
House
Baltimore City Fire Department
Age
62
Years of Service
39
County
BALTIMORE CITY
