Crime & Safety
Pro Football Came Before Firefighting for This First-Responder
Phillip Darns works at Station 20 in New Tampa. He is our first-responder of the week.
Firefighter Phillip Darns has worked at Station 20 in New Tampa for 6 years, though he has a total 25 years of experience as a firefighter.
A homegrown member of the community, Darns attended Tampa Bay Tech where he played football. He went on to play professional football for the Detriot Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the '80s after graduating from Mississippi Valley State University.
Patch: What made you want to become a firefighter?
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Darns: I was actually preparing for an interview to become a parole officer. Then one of my friends told me they were hiring at the fire department. I took the physical, the tests and pretty soon after, they called me.
Patch: What was the most harrowing experience you've had on the job?
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Darns: I had four kids in this car accident. The younger brother was the one who died. He was not supposed to be in the car that day. He wasn't allowed to go wherever the older brother was going. Trying to explain to that kid that it was an "accident" and not anyone's fault was a difficult thing for me to do.
Patch: What was the most rewarding experience you've had on the job?
Darns: We got a call about this little girl maybe 3-to-5 years old who had fallen from a balcony. She could have died or been paralyzed but she made it. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that her bones were still kind of flexible. The parents came back to the station to thank us; that was the best.
Patch: What do you do to decompress after a shift?
Darns: We talk about the bad experiences with each other. It's not something you want to bring home with you. We try to joke around with each other to diffuse the tension.
Patch: What do you enjoy about working in New Tampa?
Darns: People's temperment. They hate to call you for an emergency; it's like they're embarrased when they call — but that's what we're here for.
Patch: If you weren't working as a firefighter, what would you be doing?
Darns: I'd probably be a football coach, maybe a motivational speaker or a teacher somewhere.
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For more information on Darns' pro football career, check out his page on www.bucpower.com/phil-darns.html.