John McClelland (fire fighter)

John Eamon McClelland (6 June 1951 - 6 November 2022) was a firefighter and later Deacon from Newry, Northern Ireland who served in the fire service from 1968 until his retirement in 2002 and was acting Chief Fire Officer of Northern Ireland Fire Brigade from 1996 to 2002. He also served as President of St. John's Ambulance and as the chair of governors for St' Mary's High School.

Life
McClelland attended St. Colman's Abbey Primary School and then the Abbey Grammar School. He joined the fire brigade in 1968 at age 17 at the height of the troubles alongside his elder brother, Joe and his father, Jackie McClelland.

He served as head of brigade training before in 1995 becoming Deputy Fire Chief. With the passing of, Stephen Walker, John was promoted to Chief Fire Officer in 1996 where he served until his retirement in 2002.

In 2017, John became the first permanent deacon in the Newry Parish.

He died in 2022 after a battle with cancer.