Gig Harbor Firefighter Loses Brother in Ambulance Crash

Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One will fly its flags at half-staff through Friday to mourn the loss of a family member in the agency.

Dr. Stanley Phillips III, who was the brother of Gig Harbor firefighter/EMT Patrick Phillips, recently died as a result of injuries sustained in an ambulance crash in Wisconsin.

On July 10, Dr. Phillips and four others were on their way to pick up a neonatal intensive care unit patient when the ambulance flipped over in a curve, according to WBAY. 

Dr. Phillips was transported to the hospital for head injuries. Two other others in the vehicle sustained minor injuries.

At the request Gig Harbor's Battalion Chief, Lance O'Leary, and in support of Patrick and his family, the fire department will lower all flags to half staff, shroud their badges and post their apparatus flags from 8 a.m. on Thursday, July 18, until sunset 8:59 p.m. on Friday, July 19.

"This is a sad time for us as we mourn with one of our own," Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One's Assistant Chief Steve Nixon wrote on its Facebook page. "Several of our members had the pleasure to meet Dr. Phillips when he was here and participated in a ride along."

The University of Wisconsin Medical Center said Dr. Phillips had just started a pediatric fellowship at the hospital on July 1. Dr. Phillips was 32.

"Patrick's brother died serving his community, doing the same thing we do every single day. Our thoughts and prayers are with Patrick and his family," Nixon said.

The Dr. Phillips Memorial Fund has been created online to honor Dr. Phillips and his passion for neonatal care.