Fire captain starts new chapter in life with new tattoo

HOUSTON – Three years ago, Capt. Bill Dowling and his fellow firefighters rushed into the burning Southwest Inn. The building collapsed, killing four firefighters and trapping Dowling, who was able to hit his mayday button and be rescued.

His legs had to be amputated, but the Dowlings have always shared Bill's remarkable progress with everyone who's supported the family since the beginning. And on Monday, they shared how they're remembering the tragedy while taking the first steps toward a new life.

"It took me probably three years to kind of realize that my goals were not what they needed to be. So I finally realized that I need to live life instead of trying to get to a certain place. I was constantly trying to achieve a certain goal for him and I realized that's not important," Bill's wife, Jacki Dowling, said.

The Dowlings and Prison Break Tattoo came up with a design, in part to mask some of the permanent scars with a permanent tribute.

"It's going to be a Maltese cross, it will have Iron Bill, Iron Bill logo in there. It's going to be great, it's going to be a beautiful piece for an amazing man and an amazing hero," the owner of Prison Break, "BK", said.

With a nod of approval, the man whose nickname is "Iron Bill" got a little more ink.

"It's just a new start for him and I think that it's just fun and part of our bucket list," Jacki said. "This year we're going to take a leap of faith and do something really different with our lives, and why not start out with our new tattoo?"