10/01/2026
Today Tolland Fire says goodbye to Lieutenant Joe Duval, Jr., having served 13 years as a volunteer firefighter and 4 years in our Explorer program.
Joe’s journey with TFD began with him tagging along behind his father around the firehouse as a kid. He then began doing ride alongs with the career staff in 8th grade, before officially joining the department as a fire explorer in 2008, reaching the rank of Explorer Captain.
After graduating high school, Joe became a certified firefighter, EMT, apparatus driver, pump operator, aerial operator, and became the department’s unofficial historian while obtaining his college degree in fire science. Joe would later obtain his fire instructor, public fire educator, fire marshal, fire officer, and incident safety officer certifications and a bachelor’s degree in fire administration.
In 2017, Joe was hired as a fulltime Public Safety Officer for the town. In 2020, he left the town position but continued to serve on the department as a volunteer. In 2024, he was promoted to Fire Lieutenant.
During his long tenure with the department, Joe served on multiple committees including: memorial; social media; recruitment, retention, and incentives; apparatus; years of service; fire prevention; and training committees.
Joe took pride in preserving the department’s history especially when it came to designing and creating photo collages of members when they either reached 20 years of service, retired, or passed away.
Still in the fire service, Joe works for the Office of the State Fire Marshal as a Fire and Life Safety Specialist. He is also the proud owner of Tolland’s retired Engine Tank 68.
Joe, we thank you for your years of service and dedication to the town of Tolland. Your shoes will be hard to fill, but we wish you well in your next chapter!
