Longtime fireman worked his way up
A man who served a long tenure with the Butler City Fire Department, Paul David “Dave” Zarnick, 79, of Butler, died Saturday.
Before joining the department, Zarnick had worked at Pullman-Standard Car Co. and served in the Pennsylvania National Guard as a medic during the Berlin Crisis.
Zarnick's wife, Shirley, said her husband enjoyed being a firefighter and gained the respect of his colleagues through his work ethic and leadership.
“He started out in 1968 as a hoseman and worked his way up,” she said. “He loved it.”
Zarnick retired as assistant fire chief to become the city fire marshal. He retired in 1991.
Paula Snodgrass, Zarnick's oldest of two daughters, said her father will always be remembered for his fighting spirit.
She recalled a story about her father who was still in training at the time and off-duty. She said he overheard a call on the scanner and responded by sprinting three blocks where he put the fire out with a garden hose brought from home.
“He got there before the fire department,” Snodgrass said.
She said his career choice makes sense when considering his ideals, principles and morality. She said he valued life greatly and felt every loss deeply, but when called upon would be the first to step in and be a role model, friend or father figure to those in need of something stable.
“That was his calling in life,” Snodgrass said. “He was just a protector of life.”
