Chief's Biography

Tim Connolly
Fire Chief
FireChiefTimothy J. Connolly was appointed Fire Chief in May of 2005, after being assistant fire chief for three years. Tim was raised in Granite City, moving to the city in 1959 and attending Sacred Heart and St. Margaret Mary’s grade school. He was in the first eighth grade graduating class at St. Margaret Mary’s. Tim graduated from Assumption High School in East St. Louis and attended Benedictine College in Atchison, Ks. and S.I.U. Edwardsville, majoring in business administration.

Tim is married to the former Jennifer Lignoul and has four children. His family consists of Mason (Jennifer) Connolly, Timothy (Heather) Connolly, Andrea Crenshaw, and Edward (Krista) Connolly. The pride and joy of his life are his grandchildren, Patrick, Jaxon, Quinn, Jacyn, Emilee, and Evan Connolly and Aleah Crenshaw. When not at the fire station, you can usually find him with at least one of his grandchildren at his side.

Tim has been a member of the Granite City Fire Department since 1977, when he joined as a firefighter. He has risen through the ranks successively serving as an engineer and captain. His experience in the fire suppression field is broad and includes firefighting, incident command, crew recourse management, facility management, public relations, project management and development of operating procedures, personnel policies, and labor relations.

Chief Connolly is an active member of many organizations, including:

Madison County Fire Chief’s Association (Executive Board)
St. Louis Area Regional Response System
Southwest Illinois College Fire Science Advisory Board
Madison County Liaison to MABAS/Region C mutual aid partnership
Illinois Fire Chief’s Association, and
Madison County Emergency Telephone System Board.

Chief Connolly’s primary goal for the Granite City Fire Department is to reduce the number of fires and fire related injuries and deaths in the community. He believes this can be accomplished by:

   • Analyzing response data to identify those that are at greater risk 
   • Providing a quality life safety education program to our citizens 
   • Enforcing State and local fire prevention codes 
   • Responding with the resources necessary to quickly and safely perform operations at the scene
        of an emergency incident

If you have any questions for Tim, please do not hesitate to contact him at: tconnolly@granitecity.illinois.gov