Captain George RabielaO'Leary's Fire Truck Tours is owned and operated by retired Chicago Fire Captain George Rabiela, who served the city of Chicago's Fire Department for thirty years. He was also the coordinator for the Public Education Unit of the Chicago Fire Department. Captain George's responsibilities included the scheduling and operation of the Survive Alive House, the distribution of Fire Education and Fire Safety Awareness Materials, School Functions, and the task of educating our children, their parents, seniors, as well as the Chicago Fire Department's 5,200 members and the City's 100 Fire Stations. He commanded this Unit during one of the most difficult periods in our great Nation's history: September 11th, 2001. During this crisis, Southwest Airlines flew Captain George and his 110-pound German Shepherd, Moses, to New York City. From there, he and Moses reported to ground zero to assist with the recovery effort.
As a young Firefighter, George was assigned to Engine Company 18 located at Roosevelt and May: until recently, Engine 18 was the oldest active Fire Station in the city of Chicago. There, as a Candidate Firefighter, he performed his first rescue at the famous Fontana’s Deli where he pulled a lady and a child out of the third-floor window. From Engine 18, he moved to Truck 18, located at 50th and Union, where he sustained injuries, fighting a fire, while he was ventilating a roof. George fell twenty-eight feet with the pick of his axe piercing his leg. George was promoted to Lieutenant and after five years, he was promoted to Captain. He was then assigned to the West side of Chicago at Tower Ladder 14 where he performed numerous rescues and got his nickname, “Captain G.” Captain George Rabiela has recently retired from Engine Company 13 where he served as Captain for over 13 years." |
 
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