New Tampa Firefighter Serves in 'Appreciative' Community

Lieutenant David Mendoza is in his 30th year of service as a Tampa Bay-area firefighter. He has been at Station 20 in New Tampa for three years, having previously served at Station 14. He is a native of Arizona but moved to Florida in the mid-1980s. He first got on with the Auburndale Fire Department and spent five years there before coming to Tampa.

Mendoza also works with the Urban Search And Rescue. He assisted in Biloxi, Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He's also worked with the Tactical Medic Response Team, or the "ninja firefighter," as it's called around the station, for 14 years. The TMRT assists in hostage situations with police. 

How did he get into firefighting? Mendoza said he was working as a maintenance/support employee at a copper mine and became frustrated by the work environment.

"Between labor strikes and layoffs, I was looking for some stability in my life," he said. "I saw that the Lakeland department was hiring and I left Arizona."

Patch: Describe your most harrowing experience on the job.

Mendoza: I remember we were driving back to the station during one of those summer storms and of course there was lightning. I said to myself, "now watch us have a rim fire." Sure enough, it happened. (Editor's note: Mendoza is referring to the enormous, cylindrical holding tanks for fuel at the Port of Tampa.) We were the first ones on top of the tank and there were actually two fires. The lightning broke the seal of the rim and it was burning in two different spots. Every time we'd get one out, the other one would flare up. We didn't get the whole thing out until we got the second line up there. I remember the heat under the lid got so intense it was popping bolts and caps off. If the lid would have tipped or the whole thing would have blown off, you would have been reading about 12 firefighters who lost their lives. A lot of us made our peace with God that day.

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

Mendoza: We were on water rescue one time, searching for this 16-year old kid that was lost in the bay. Usually, you don't find them but we found him and were able to get him out of the water and to a hospital. He nearly died from hypothermia.

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

Mendoza: I play my guitar; it's a big stress reliever for me. Medicine for the soul.

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

Mendoza: The neighborhoods are nice, clean, the people are more appreciative. I'd say the majority of the calls are legit. It's a big put off when you get a call that you're not really needed for.

Patch: If you didn't choose a career as a firefighter, what do you think you would have been instead?

Mendoza: Probably something in construction, maybe plumbing. I did that type of work at the mine.