Meet Captain David Solorzano, First Responder of the Week

David Solorzano has been a firefighter and first responder for the last 22 years. He transferred to Station 20 in New Tampa in February 2011 from Station 15 in South Tampa. Solorzano hails from the South Tampa area.

Patch: What made you want to become a firefighter?

Solorzano: I had a lot of exposure to seeing people get hurt. I saw my grandmother have a heart attack, as well as other people getting hurt, and I always wondered if anything else could have been done to help them. Then in my 20s, I was working at Pittsburg Paints and had a customer who was Tampa FD. After talking with him and some of my other clients about it, I realized I wanted to pursue it.

Patch: What was your most harrowing experience on the job?

Solorzano: There was a building fire near the airport, the smoke was so thick you couldn't even see where the fire was. I had to go in with a partner and a hose. It seemed like forever, we just had to feel for the heat and find the fire in zero visibility.

Patch: What was the most rewarding experience you've had on the job?

Solorzano: I pulled three kids, 2 and 3 years old, out of a fire. Two of them were not breathing, they handed me one, my partner the other and we revived them on the way to the hospital. A few weeks later, they came to the station,even the little ones responded to me and they all hugged me.

Patch: What do you do to decompress after a shift?

Solorzano: Physically, just get rest. You have 48 hours off after a 24 hour shift. Mentally, just talk to peers, talk to family. My wife is a great resource; she knows what I'm going through.

Patch: What do you enjoy about living and working in New Tampa?

Solorzano: Different types of calls out here — snake bites, grass fires. We go to more mutual aid calls with Pasco County up here.

Patch: If you were not working as a firefighter, what would you be doing?

Solorzano: I'd probably be a school teacher. I like math and art; I would love to teach at an EMT school.