UPDATED with photograph of Long that won Pulitzer PrizeÂ
UNIVERSITY CITY • Adam Long, a 34-year veteran of the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Fire Department known for a Pulitzer-prize-winning photo that showed him trying to revive a young girl injured in a fire, has been named the new fire chief of University City.
He will replace Don Miner, who has retired after 32 years of service in the University City department.
Long, 62, is a battalion chief for the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Fire Department and fire chief at Lambert Field.
Long's first day on the job in University City will be Jan. 28, said City Manager Lehman Walker.
“I am proud to appoint Mr. Long as the first African-American fire chief in the history of University City,†Walker said Thursday night. “He’s very well-qualified and will provide the necessary leadership in the department.â€
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Long’s “experience and determination†make him a great fit for the position, Walker added.
Long is the firefighter featured in a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph that was published in the Post-Dispatch on Dec. 31, 1988. The photo showed Long holding a soot-covered toddler after he rescued her from a burning building. The girl died six days later.
The photo branded Long a hero. He received a Medal of Honor — though he told the Post-Dispatch in 2008 that he didn’t feel very heroic. “For about a year," he said, "I second-guessed myself: ‘Did you really do all that you could have done?’â€
Long’s starting pay at University City fire chief will be about $95,000. Miner, who was at the top of the pay range, left at $106,000.
The department will see other changes this year. A new fire station is under construction at Vernon and Westgate avenues. Walker said Thursday that it’s scheduled to open this fall.