“He was a very fun-loving, outgoing kid,” Kemp Sr. said.
Doran Kemp Jr. is seen here wearing a Superman costume. (Courtesy of Christopher Brown)
Then there were the times Doran Kemp Jr. wore a Superman costume and went into grocery and retail stores across Milwaukee to convince people to fight fires for a living.
It was unique — but it worked.
“He’d say, ‘Hey, if you can carry two babies, you can carry a fire hose,'” Kemp Sr. said. “Then people would always (say), ‘You think I could be a firefighter?’ He said, ‘If I can do it, you can do it.'”
Kemp Jr. died on July 8, 2024 of glioblastoma — a form of cancer — after a 25-year career with the Milwaukee Fire Department.
He was 44.
Those who knew him best said he was a people person who loved life.
Before he died, Kemp Jr. was laser focused on recruiting more firefighters to the Milwaukee Fire Department — especially more people of color and women.
Many believe that was the legacy he left behind.
A career of service
Doran Kemp Jr. decided he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. Kemp Sr. was also a firefighter and captain with the Milwaukee Fire Department. He said he was surprised his son made that career choice.
“He said, ‘Yeah Dad, I always wanted to be a firefighter. I saw how you could take care of our family and spend time with us, so it’s what I always wanted to do,'” Kemp Sr. said.
Kemp Jr. tried out for the cadet program at the Milwaukee Fire Department, an apprentice-style program for people out of high school. It was there that he learned more about the career.
“Unfortunately for him, when he did come on the job as a cadet, everybody compared him to me,” Kemp Sr. said.
Doran Kemp Jr. is featured in an issue of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. (Courtesy of the Milwaukee Fire Department)
As his career progressed, Kemp Jr. helped create videos and social media content for the fire department.
Eventually, he moved into a recruitment role.
It was around that time that Kemp Jr. recruited his childhood friend to the department. Christopher Brown, who is now a Milwaukee Fire Department Battalion Chief Christopher Brown, said he himself was a quiet and shy kid. He says he’ll never forget when he first met Kemp Jr. more than 30 years ago.
“He goes, ‘Hi my name is Doran. My friends call me José. Well, you can call me Doran,'” Brown said. “I just went blank. I didn’t know what to say, what to do. Then he started smiling and laughing. From that day forward, it’s like best of friends,” Brown said.
Brown chose a different career path but he eventually came to the fire department after Kemp Jr. encouraged him to put in a job application. He applied after Kemp Jr. made phone call after phone call to push him to go for the job.
“He honestly had to borderline beg me to try to join the fire department,” Brown said. “I’m so glad he did, because it ended up being the best career decision in my life.”
Kemp Jr. would often go into schools and community spaces across the city to speak to others about the benefits of the job. This, as fire departments across the nation have struggled to bring more people to the career in recent years.
He especially focused his efforts on people of color and women. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal men account for 95 percent of firefighters across the nation, while Black people only account for around 8 percent of the force.
Brown said Kemp Jr. was never off the clock. He’d take phone calls day and night — even on vacation — to talk about the benefits of the job with others who were interested.
“We could be out and about at night walking the mall. He’d see somebody (and be) like, ‘Hang on, let me go talk to this person real quick,'” Brown said. “That person might be extremely short, or extremely tall, or a little wider, a little skinnier.”
Brown said those people would sometimes express concerns that they weren’t cut out for the job.
“He’s (Kemp Jr.) like, ‘No, we need you,'” Brown said.
Doran Kemp Jr. (left) with fellow Milwaukee firefighter Briona Conway. (Courtesy of Christopher Brown)
Briona Conway is a real world example of Kemp Jr.’s efforts.
Conway was attending the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and gearing up for medical school. But that all changed when she found a flier for the fire department. After meeting with Kemp Jr., she changed course.
“I think it was his passion and his love for the job, where it didn’t even feel like a job the way he was describing it. It was just something that he loved to do,” Conway said.
Conway said Kemp Jr. was there with her through every part of the process — from the interview to the physical training. Now, she’s a recruiter herself with the fire department and often goes to high schools across Milwaukee.
“I specifically target young women of color to let (them) know, ‘You’re able to do this, this isn’t just a boy job, as I say,'” Conway said.
Conway said it’s important for others to see people like her when she’s responding to calls in the community.
“Them seeing me and my face and them being shocked, or them being encouraged, or them taking a deep breath and being like, okay, I’m fine, because it’s somebody that you can relate to, even if you don’t know me, it’s a woman of color who looks similar to you that you can trust,” she said.
In 2014, 9.4 percent of the Milwaukee Fire Department was Black, while 4.2 percent were women, according to stats from the department.
In 2024, that number increased to 16 percent for Black firefighters, and 10.8 percent for women firefighters.
Cancer a leading cause of death for firefighters
Kemp Sr. said his son started showing symptoms of cancer in early 2023. By April 2023, they found it was glioblastoma. Cancer is a leading cause of death for firefighters, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The hardest part for me, as his Dad, was just watching him decline,” Kemp Sr. said.
Kemp Sr. said he’d often compare his son to a “100 watt lightbulb.”
“Near his end, he was like (a) 40 watt,” Kemp Sr. said. “So he was just not the kid I knew. But he certainly, even in the end, was just worried about everybody else and us being okay.”
Doran Kemp Jr. was a major Milwaukee Bucks fan. (Courtesy of Christopher Brown)
Kemp Jr. tried chemotherapy and radiation, but nothing worked.
On July 8, 2024, he died.
A celebration of his life was held later that month.
“People came in from all over the place,” Kemp Sr. said.
Brown spoke during the ceremony. He now credits Kemp Jr. for the life he has.
“I have a wonderful wife and kids and family, and he helped me to get this. He was probably the main driving factor in me stepping into this (career),” Brown said. “I know so many other guys and girls that say the same thing.”
Conway said his presence is missed in the department.
“We miss him sorely,” she said. “We miss his spirit, miss his personality, miss his happiness and his smile.”
She said his legacy will forever be the countless people he recruited to the department. When it comes to being a firefighter, Conway said she believes that Kemp Jr. helped show that women and people of color, “can do it.”
“A lot of us are living proof of that through him. I plan on continuing that throughout my career,” Conway said.
