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Crime & Safety

New Tampa Residents Are Most Appreciative, Firefighter Says

Station 20's Jason Luna is New Tampa Patch's First Responder of the Week.

 

Firefighter Jason Luna has been at Station 20 in New Tampa for the last six months, though he has nine years of firefighting experience between Hillsborough and Pasco counties.

New Tampa Patch recently caught up with Luna at Station 20.

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Patch: What made you want to become a firefighter?

Luna: I lost my brother and my dad in a car accident on State Route 52 when I was in my 20s. I was working as a plumber in my dad's business at the time. I had about eight months of soul-searching after that — my heart was not in my work anymore. Then my friend Steve Brand, then captain of the Spring Hill Fire Department, started bending my ear about joining the fire department. I got into the academy, my wife supported the decision and that was that.

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

Luna: We got this call out on I-75. There was a minor fender-bender that had stopped traffic, and this one car plowed into this stopped Rav 4 from behind, going probably 70 miles per hour or so. We saved the two kids and the dad, but the mom didn't make it. I remember the kids at the hospital asking where their mom was. That hit me pretty hard because I have a kid the same age. You always wonder if something like that is going to happen to you.

Patch: What was your most rewarding experience?

Luna: There was a house fire when I was working at Station 10. We had to get a Halligan to pry off the burglar bars from the front door to get in. You could barely see the guy; he was trying to breathe through the window of the front door. We got the door open and got him out in time to save his life. We packed him in the rescue vehicle and put out the fire.

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

Luna: Talk to my wife, the guys at the station. A lot of times you can't say anything about (work) for a while. Sometimes I will ride my bike.

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

Luna: They actually thank you over here. A lot of areas, the people are unappreciative. They are screaming at you, telling you that you aren't doing your job. Over here, the people are nice to you.

Patch: If you weren't a firefighter, what else would you be doing?

Luna: I'd still be doing plumbing.

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