“For me, the gratitude that I get out of volunteering is being able to help the victims of disasters, whether it’s small or large.”
Darrin Hughes
By Andrea Manokian, Red Cross Communications Volunteer
Battalion Chief Darrin Hughes began his fire service journey in 1991 with the San Joaquin Delta Fire Department near Stockton, CA, before joining the Visalia Fire Department in 1996. Over the years, he rose through the ranks, and in 2012, he earned the badge of Battalion Chief.
Retired as of December 2025, Darrin shares the story of his last day at work. “I had just got off that morning. I went home and put my stuff in the garage, and then about two hours later, I got a call from the [American] Red Cross about a local fire that was happening in Tulare County,” he says. He recalls the exact moment when he went back into his garage to retrieve his fire gear — the same gear he had neatly tucked away just two hours prior—and put on his Red Cross uniform. “I told my wife that I was leaving to go to Lindsay to help out a family that had been affected by a fire,” he says. And this story pretty much sums up the dedicated volunteer that is Darrin Hughes.
Darrin’s Red Cross journey started a decade ago in 2016 when a Fire Captain by the name of Karl, who was already a Red Cross volunteer, invited him to a monthly Disaster Action Team (DAT) meeting. Darrin agreed, joking that he was intrigued by it being a dinner meeting. Soon after, Darrin was inspired to become involved with the organization, completing various training and coursework to become a key member.
Since 2016, Darrin has been an active volunteer of the Red Cross. Aside from being a dedicated DAT responder and government operations volunteer, he’s taken part in various events such as multiple Sound the Alarm events, the Hometown Heroes Event in Downtown Visalia, various Red Cross tabling events, and more. He’s even appeared in front of his local city council to speak and advocate on behalf of the organization for Red Cross Month. “For me, the gratitude that I get out of volunteering is being able to help the victims of disasters, whether it’s small or large,” he says.
Darrin’s fire service has given him a unique perspective. “There’s that aspect of having been a Battalion Chief and commanding a house fire, to now seeing a family on the other side of a fire and watching all their belongings being devastated,” he explains. “When I got involved with the Red Cross, I was able to see that side and what the Red Cross was able to provide to its clients, whether it was emotional support or immediate financial assistance. It was something that would help them move forward,” he says.
He recalls a time when he participated in the largest Sound the Alarm event in Visalia, where over 600 smoke detectors were installed as a means to combat the multiple fires occurring within a local mobile home park; an event Darrin made possible in collaboration with the Fire Chief of Hanford, Dan Perkins, the local Red Cross CERT and Hanford Fire personnel.
He also tells me about a time when he responded to a fire in Allensworth where a family of five had lost one of their three-year-old children after flames had emerged and rapidly intensified within their trailer home. “Myself and another DAT responder were able to share in their grieving process and give them some hope and resources that they could reach out to through the Red Cross and other organizations that the Red Cross is connected to,” he says. He credits his firefighting background for helping him reassure victims during these incredibly tragic situations. Speaking on how the Red Cross provides relief to clients during natural disasters, Darrin says, “The Red Cross gives them an inkling of hope. It reassures them that it’s not the end, and that they can still rebuild and move forward.”
Darrin’s dedication to the Red Cross runs so deep that he’s even encouraged those closest to him to volunteer. For example, his wife, Kimberly, volunteers alongside him during various Sound the Alarm and youth events. And most recently, when Darrin’s brother-in-law, Wes, retired from the California Department of Corrections after 26 years, Darrin suggested he volunteer with the Red Cross. Just months after becoming a volunteer, Wes deployed to a disaster in South Carolina, various shelters on the East Coast, and most recently, to Southern California for the Pacific Palisades fires.
Recently, Darrin was the Red Cross’ Mission Moment Speaker at the Central Valley Heroes Awards. He shared his story of service and encouraged those in attendance to get involved with Red Cross events in their area — whether it’s an active event like Sound the Alarm or a DAT meeting like the one he attended all those years ago. “You may not see what the Red Cross does until you see a large disaster on TV, but a lot of the work that the Red Cross does stays behind the scenes,” he says.
To give those unaffiliated with the organization a better perspective of just how much the Red Cross gives back, Darrin suggests connecting those who are curious with current volunteers. “I would introduce them to a volunteer — someone who has been doing it for a long time — to give them some perspective,” he says. “Whatever your talent is, or whatever your expertise is in, this organization will accept that,” he shares.
Following a long and impressive fire service career, Darrin has no plans to slow down. Although officially retired, he’s aware that his experience gives him unique insights, valuable connections, and a set of skills that the Red Cross can count on. Even having never spoken to him before, he speaks to me as if he’s known me for years. Warm, kind-hearted and incredibly dedicated, Darrin Hughes is determined to help save lives.
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