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Crime & Safety

Sunny, Warm Florida Salvages Career of Young Firefighter

Every week, New Tampa Patch introduces you to one of our area firefighters. This week, it's Chris Chien of Station 22.

Firefighter Chris Chien is a relative rookie as far as the City of Tampa Fire Department is concerned but he's had 12 years of experience as a volunteer firefighter in New York. We can't quite say, "New York City" even though Chien grew up just outside of it. Chien was one of the many volunteer firefighters who rushed to the crumbling towers on his day off during 9/11. He remembers after the third day, they called off the search for survivors.

"We didn't want to stop searching, we were still hoping there might be some more still alive in there," Chien recalled.

Chien had hoped he would continue his career as a city firefighter but a car accident so severely damaged his leg, it compromised his physical ability, "especially in the cold weather". He rehabilitated the leg but the cold weather continued to play havoc on it. The offer to become a city firefighter in Tampa came up and Chien left his home state for sunny Florida. He put in time at Station 11, unofficially nicknamed "House of Pain". Then he had a brief stint at Station 13 before settling into Station 22 this past March.

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Patch: What made you want to become a firefighter?

Chien: I was an EMT/paramedic for seven years, I have always been around it. I also like seeing something different every day, I didn't want to be stuck in an office all day.

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Patch: Describe your most harrowing experience on the job.

Chien: Back when I was working at Station 11 we got a call that an individual had been shot, TPD was already on the scene. When we arrived the guy had no pulse so we loaded him up, applied CPR and rushed him to emergency. The wound was bleeding really bad and we got covered in blood. After we had to go back and get our backup uniforms. On that same shift, we got another call that a lady had been attacked with a box cutter. She had several cuts, even some on her throat. We rushed her to the ER, too and again my uniform was covered in blood. I wound up wearing the washed uniform from that first call to end my shift. That lady was lucky though, the gash on her neck just missed the carotid artery.

Patch: Describe your most rewarding experience on the job.

Chien: It's connected to the lady that got cut with the box cutter. The next day, I was working a double, we were back at St. Joseph's hospital transporting another patient. I saw the doctor that was working on her and he introduced us. She was so thankful, it was nice she was able to survive and we could talk. I think she had 40 stitches in one cut and 30 in another. The doctor told me she survived by an inch.

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

Chien: Go home, sleep. Sleep all the next day, then back to work a regular shift. 

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

Chien: I think the people are more appreciative of our services. People come to the station to thank us, this one lady made us a bunch of apple pies. It's nice as opposed to feeling hated and despised by some people. Some people think we are a taxi.

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

Chien: Maybe a nurse or something in the emergency room or health care related.

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