Harp Donnelly IV named Newport's fire chief
NEWPORT — Harp Donnelly IV, a native Newporter and 23-year veteran of the Newport Fire Department, has been named the city’s new fire chief.
Donnelly follows Fire Chief Brian Dugan, who retired last month after leading the city’s Fire Department for the past five years.
As deputy chief and a member of the department’s leadership team, Donnelly has been a part of the front line response to a number of emergency situations during his tenure, including the 2019 gas outage and the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“Harp has been an integral piece of the Newport Fire Department and has served the city well,” said City Manager Joseph J. Nicholson, Jr. in announcing the appointment. “He has been pivotal in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic and a valued member of the department’s leadership team.”
Dugan said last month that Donnelly began working on the vaccination plans for the city in October 2020. "He took over that and ran with it, coordinating with the guys and volunteers on the vaccination clinics," the former fire chief said.
Donnelly, who had been serving as acting chief since Dugan's retirement, was sworn in on the steps of City Hall by City Clerk Laura Swistak on Friday at 3:30 p.m.
“I am very fortunate to have been born into a family with a strong history of public service to the City of Newport,” said Donnelly in a written statement. “Next to be being born into my family, being hired to work for the City of Newport's Fire Department is one of most significant positive events in my life.”
He is the son of the late Humphrey J. (Harp) Donnelly III, who was mayor of the city for 10 years, from 1971 to 1981, and the late Barbara Donnelly.
“Our city's Fire Department is comprised of many extremely talented and well trained members with a proud history of serving our community," Donnelly said. "I have had the honor of serving the City of Newport as a member of its Fire Department for over 23 years. I am humbled by this opportunity to help lead the department and help work to meet the current and future emergency needs of our community. I start this next chapter of my career with combined sense of pride, confidence, and gratitude.”
Donnelly, who first joined the Department in October of 1998, has had a steady rise through the ranks, earning promotions to fire lieutenant in August 2012, fire captain in June 2017, and deputy fire chief in January 2020.
In November 2017, when Brian Dugan was sworn in as fire chief in City Hall, Donnelly, who was then a fire captain, was the master of ceremonies.
According to Nicholson, Donnelly was selected from among a pool of highly qualified applicants, all of whom know the department and the city well.
“We were extremely fortunate to have a number of very impressive candidates interview for the job,” he said. “Harp rose to the top, and I think he’ll lead the department well.”
Donnelly earned a bachelor’s degree from Providence College and master’s degree from Anna Maria College in Massachusetts. He is married to Tricia (Milburn) Donnelly, who is a long-time fourth grade teacher at Pell Elementary School and a softball coach at Rogers.
“From the day I met him he has always had this position as his ultimate goal,” Tricia Donnelly wrote on Facebook Thursday. “His motto has always been that ‘It's okay to be a dreamer as long as you're willing to put the work in to make your dreams come true!"
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Harp Donnelly IV has been named Newport's new fire chief
