Penny Phillips was named Farmersville’s  2025 Firefighter of the Year.

After spending much of her adult life working in roles unrelated to firefighting, Penny Phillips found her calling four years ago when she joined the Farmersville Fire Department.

On July 1, Fire Chief Gregg Massey introduced Phillips to the Farmersville Rotary Club as the department’s 2025 Firefighter of the Year.

“Whenever we get a fire call in the middle of the night, Penny is always available to respond from home,” Massey told club members.

Massey said the department is on track to break last year’s record for emergency responses. From January through June 2023, Farmersville Fire Department responded to 927 calls. That number has already risen to 962 calls in the first half of 2024.

Phillips has played a vital role in ensuring the department continues to meet the needs of its service area, an 80-square-mile district of which the city makes up less than 10%, Massey said.

Phillips, 46, was raised in Richardson. Her mother, a Farmersville native, now lives in Dallas. Currently single, Phillips handles the department’s “community outreach and risk reduction” efforts — a role she jokingly admits is a “mouthful.” Her long-term goal is to become a certified fire marshal.

In addition to her fire department duties, Phillips is enrolled in a police academy class at Texas A&M University-Commerce, where she is training to become an arson investigator.

Looking ahead, Massey said population growth continues to challenge public safety departments in North Texas. “We are maxed out in our police and fire departments,” he said, noting that the department recently added a ladder truck to its fleet.

He also told Rotarians that both the fire and police departments — currently housed in the same building — are in need of new facilities. “We need to plan ahead,” he said. “We have no room here to add any more apparatus.”

As for her own recognition, Phillips said she was honored by the award.

“This is a huge deal,” she said. “I think every firefighter should strive to earn this honor. I am just doing my part to help everyone who works in our department.”

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