Community mourns passing of McCandless firefighter

Firefighter, family man and well-known member of the McCandless community Daniel Stack passed away unexpectedly on May 10 at age 51.

Many knew Stack from his 35 years of service fighting blazes in the local area, most recently with the Highland Volunteer Fire Department for the past 18 years, according to Highland member Shawn O’Brien.

Prior to Highland, Stack was a member of the Ingomar Volunteer Fire Company for 17 years and also worked as a fire marshal for the Town of McCandless.

“For firefighters who are inside a burning building, having Dan in the front yard as the incident commander was a calming presence,” O’Brien said. “His ability to make strategic decisions, assign and deploy crews, and coordinate with police and EMS while ensuring the safety of the volunteers was extraordinary.”

Stack was a key player in putting security procedures in place as director of safety and security for North Allegheny School District from 2021-23.

He most recently was safety manager for Cincinnati geotechnical engineering and construction firm Richard Goettle Inc., according to his obituary. The McCandless resident was married to Suzanne and had three children.

As an instructor at the Allegheny County Fire Academy in McCandless, Stack often taught classes in the basics of firefighting along with the core traditions that volunteer firefighting brings, O’Brien said.

“He gave them the core skills along with teaching them the behaviors and attitudes that they would use throughout their entire careers,” O’Brien said. “Given this position, he had an impact on nearly every volunteer fire department in Allegheny County.”

He was a key instructor during weekly training sessions for the McCandless departments: Highland, Ingomar and Peebles.

“His life for 35 years revolved around Tuesday nights, and his focus was making sure they were better firefighters at the end of the night every Tuesday than when they arrived,” O’Brien said.

Cody Monper, Highland Volunteer Fire Department president, worked with Stack for 14 years and knew him for more than 25. He cited the important qualities Stack taught him.

“What I learned from Dan was, you can never have enough training. Practice how you play. Look at the big picture. Take a step and breathe. Everyone goes home. Always have a debrief,” Monper said, to share details about each response.

Stack’s son Riley also is a Highland VFD member. They responded to a structure fire on May 8 in Franklin Park as the last call of Dan’s career.

“Father and son got to work side by side to extinguish the structure fire, and ensure that both the residents of the house were safe and that fellow firefighters returned home to their loved ones after performing their duties,” O’Brien said.

He said Stack’s son carries on his father’s legacy in the McCandless fire service.

“As Dan watched over all of us for 35 years, the volunteer firefighters in McCandless will watch over Riley during his career,” O’Brien said.

The family belongs to St. Aidan Parish in McCandless, where a Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated.

A Last Call Fireman Service was set to be held during his final viewing n May 14 at George A. Thoma Funeral Home in McCandless.

O’Brien said a last call includes the Allegheny County dispatch center dispatching the Highland, Ingomar and Peebles departments “as if we have a fire call, and they will read a script about Dan’s career and his accomplishments. And at the end render is his last alarm and sign off for him.”

Then, they ring a bell and the firefighters were set to process past him and exit the funeral home.

“It is the hardest thing to be a part of emotionally but also one of the biggest honors to someone,” Monper said. “It’s kind of the fire service’s version of the military’s 21-gun salute.”