Derby Fire Marshal Phil Hawks Retires

DERBY – From battling the massive Sponge Rubber arson fire in 1975 to rescuing one of the survivors of the River Restaurant explosion a decade later, Derby Fire Marshal Phil Hawks has seen his share of triumphs and tragedies.

Hawks, 66, has dedicated much of his adult life to fire service. He joined Hotchkiss Hose Fire Co. No. 1 as a volunteer firefighter at 16, worked his way through the ranks to fire chief and ultimately was named fire marshal – a position he’s been proud to hold for the past 25 years.

But on Aug. 5, Hawks stepped out of the fire marshal’s office at Derby City Hall one last time, when he officially retired.

“I think I’m going to put my feet up a little bit,” Hawks said. ​“I still will keep my certification and will keep my options open. I’ll remain active in the firehouse. I’m excited to be able to drive the fire trucks again.”

The Derby native plans to take a well-deserved vacation to Rio De Janeiro, where his wife Regina, originally hails from, and is looking forward to spending more time hanging out with his four grandchildren – something that was harder to come by due to long hours of the job.

While the fire marshal job is a 35-hour per work job on paper, that’s never been the case for Hawks.

“With fires happening at all hours of the night and on weekends, the hours always went way beyond that,” Hawks said. ​“I loved the job; I’ve always enjoyed the challenge and I did my best to make buildings in town safe for everyone. It was really like never going to work, because I really liked what I did.”

Hawks hails from a family of firefighters, as his late dad, Theodore Hawks, Sr. was a former Derby fire chief, and his brother was also a firefighter.

“It was a family tradition and I followed in their footsteps,” Hawks said, who worked for 20 years at the former Allied Signal as a tool designer.

During his days as an assistant fire chief and fire chief in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hawks became increasingly interested in what happened after a fire. 

“I’d be looking at a site and watching (former fire marshal) Joe Iacuone doing his investigation – especially after the River Restaurant explosion – and trying to figure what actually happened,” Hawks said.

The River Restaurant explosion, one of the deadliest events in Derby’s history that claimed the lives of six people in 1985, is something Hawks will never forget. He was assistant fire chief at the time and remembered how the building began to shake and shift while he and his fellow firefighters and police searched for survivors.

Hawks recalled finding the owner’s son, Michael Ippolito, pinned under the rubble in what was left of the building’s basement and first floor.

“Two of the biggest things that stand out in my career were the B.F. Goodrich fire, which was so massive and the largest arson fire on the east coast at the time, and River Restaurant,” Hawks said. ​“The loss of life was devastating, but getting Michael Ippolito out of that pile of rubble was incredible.”

Hawks said much has changed since he first began the job and said fire investigation today has become ​“more of a scientific-driven investigation.” Modern technology – like computer-simulated scenarios – can assist in determining fire causes. Staffing changes, due to budget constraints, has also seen the office decline from eight employees at one time down to three, Hawks said.

“There is so much more training now,” he said. ​“I would go to New Hampshire every year for a full week of fire investigation, where we would do a lot of hands-on stuff, participate in real life demos and figure out what caused a fire, so I could always stay on top of the game.”

Always being on his game is something Derby Fire Chief David Lenart said is what made Hawks an excellent fire marshal.

“Phil is such a wealth of knowledge, and to not have access to that anymore is going to be tough,” Lenart said. ​“He’s been a member of the fire department since he was 16, and to have somebody in the city that long and to have that local knowledge was incredible. We’d be out for a fire, and I could call Phil in the middle of the night and anything I could ask him, he knew it all.”

Lenart added that Hawks is a rare breed, in that ​“he’s the only government official to always answer his phone,” no matter what time of day or night.

“He’d either be right there at the scene or he’d tell you what steps to take,” Lenart said. ​“It’s sad to see him go, but it’s good to see him retire because he certainly has earned a day off.”

Hawks plans to continue his role as an instructor (since 1994) for the Valley Fire School, which while doesn’t have a home base, provides classes at area fire houses for up-and-coming firefighters.

“I enjoy teaching the younger firefighters coming in, and I see a lot of them who have become officers and chiefs who were in my classes, and that makes me feel good,” Hawks said.

Richard Tardie is now serving as Acting Fire Marshal. Hawks is hopeful the staff continues to keep the city safe, while enjoying the job as he did.

“It was a good life for me,” Hawks said. ​“The job never became stale because not every fire is the same. ​“It’s a challenge to try to figure out what caused the fire. It keeps your mind sharp.”

Hawks is the second high-ranking Derby official to leave city hall this month.

Derby Police Chief Gerald Narowski’s last day in the office was Aug. 12, according to a congratulatory message distributed by Derby City/Town Clerk Marc Garofalo.

Narowski was a police officer in Derby for more than 30 years, including 12 years as chief. He accrued enough sick time over the years so that he will remain on the payroll until next year and be available to help in the transition for Deputy Chief Scott Todd, who will become chief. Click here for a previous Valley Indy story.