Meet Firefighter/EMT Phillip Burton

Where are you stationed?
I am currently assigned at Station 8 ("Beast of the East" on Lien Road) on the 'C' shift.

What is something unique about the territory that you serve?
Station 8's territory is unique based on the diverse population that we serve. There is a combination of residential housing and commercial buildings throughout the territory. In addition, some of I-90 is within the response territory where there is a fair number of accidents.

What's the most interesting call you've been involved with so far? 
One of the most interesting calls that I have had was on my first day at Station 8. A couple hours into our shift, we were on our way back to the station when a structure fire response came in. Engine 8 was the first on scene to a vehicle that was on fire in an auto shop. I think the reason why this fire sticks out in my mind was we had just gone over what's to be expected earlier on in the shift. Even though it was my first few hours with the crew, everything seemed to go very well.

Why did you want to work for the Madison Fire Department?
It was a goal of mine to work for Madison Fire for many years. It started when I went to school at Madison College and was in an internship with Shorewood Hills. Between talking with Madison Fire training staff at the college and talking to the paramedics at the hospitals, everyone had positive things to say about the department. Madison offers many different avenues to get involved within the department, including the special teams of Heavy Urban Rescue (HURT), Hazmat Team (HIT), Lake Rescue, and Fire Investigation (FIT). 

Being a Badgers fan, I think it's pretty awesome to have the opportunity to work events for the Badgers.

Looking back at the Fire Academy, what was the most challenging part?
I think that the most challenging part of the academy was probably smoke divers. The week consists of being physically and mentally challenged every day for a week. In the program, there are many different scenarios, from mazes in full darkness to high-rise scenarios. I felt like even though this was challenging, this was the best week in the academy. Our platoon and class really came together during that week and kept pushing each other to get through the week.