Obituary of Leo E. Duliba

Leo E. Duliba, 70, of 469 Willard St., passed away Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, in UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pa. An area resident all of his life, he was born on May 17, 1947 in Dunkirk, the youngest of seven sons to the late William E. and Violet F. Kosinski Duliba. His childhood home in Dunkirk, NY was located directly across the street from a fire station which created the atmosphere for the birth of a full-fledged fire buff. By the time Leo was thirteen years old, he had begun to take pictures of fires and apparatus. When he was 18 years old he joined the Dunkirk Fire Dept. and within one year was promoted to second assistant foreman of Murray Hose No. 4. After several years as a part time volunteer fireman, Leo realized his passion was so intense that he decided to make his avocation his vocation. He then moved to Jamestown after accepting a career position with the Jamestown Fire Dept. in 1968. For the next several years he continued his education with state courses and seminars. He was a certified EMT before most others, and was one of a small group of Jamestown fire fighters who commuted to Erie Community College in Buffalo where he received his Bachelor Degree in Fire Protection Technology in 1976. As a result of these efforts many other future fireman were able to attend Fire Protection courses at the local college. When the Jamestown Fire Dept. moved into its new headquarters in 1972, Leo helped to set up the new dispatching center (911 system), and trained the initial group of civilian dispatchers. Later that year, he became the Official Chautauqua County Fire Photographer. Because of his knowledge and interest, he was also the Historian of the department. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1983. Leo was a collector. He amassed collections of such diverse items as fire helmets, slides of fire apparatus, movies, stamps, and books. His collection numbered some 80,000 slides and is ranked among the Top 3 such collections in the world. He was a nationally recognized authority on fire apparatus and its history and was a contributor to many magazine articles. He wrote a book "A Transition In Red" in 1976 and updated it with a second printing in 1986. In 1980 he authored the first complete history of the Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Dept. He was a guest speaker at many local fire departments and colleges across the U.S. and gave lectures on different aspects of the fire service throughout the area. Most recently he guided a tour at Lake View Cemetery where he shared his knowledge of the history of Jamestown's fire service stopping at six notable gravesites, where he discussed how each man now buried there played a significant role in the early, burgeoning role of Jamestown's fire services. Leo is survived by his husband, William J. Brudz, whom he married August 2, 2011, a brother Leonard Duliba, a cousin Patty Ciepiela of Dunkirk, and many nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by his brothers Harry, William, Jake, Daniel, and Benjamin Duliba. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017 in the Lind Funeral Home. Jamestown Fire Department Chaplain Peter Dawson will officiate. Burial will be in Lake View Cemetery. Friends will be received from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday in the funeral home where the Jamestown Fire Dept. Color Guard will be present. Memorials may be made to Jamestown Morton Club Beneficiaries Association Scholarship Fund, c/o Jamestown Fire Dept., 200 Spring St., Jamestown, NY 14701.