Dick Cochrane, left, served as the firing boss for the Alpha division at the Sept. 14, 2019, fire academy as he earned training hours as a supervisor. Cochrane worked with other firefighters to set the field on fire and ensured firefighters did not become trapped behind the fire line.
As Dick Cochrane got ready for another day in the health care field, he turned on the TV and watched the news of the Twin Towers attack in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. That day caused Cochrane to explore a new career path as a firefighter.
“9/11 is where it all began for me,” he said. “When 9/11 took place, I felt like I had to give something back.”
As part of the transition, Cochrane enrolled in an emergency medical technicians (EMT) class at St. Mary’s Hospital. Once he earned his license, he applied for membership with the Gering Volunteer Fire Department.
“Of course, as a member you have to be voted on and be accepted into the department,” Cochrane said. “Fortunately, I was accepted and voted on and I’m there almost 19 years later.”
Dick Cochrane, center, visits with Wallace Swanson as fire personnel set up for the fire academy Sept. 14, 2019, in Cedar Canyon. Cochrane serves as a trainee, getting experience to complete his task book.
Cochrane serves as a captain with the Gering Fire Department, but he started out as a firefighter. His first call was a code blue, a medical code used to describe the critical status of a patient.
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“My very first call was a code blue call in Gering,” he said. “I was excited, nervous, anxious. It was stunning and I was scared.”
The patient survived.
Throughout his career, he learned the importance of humility as he rose through the ranks, he said. Like others, he describes Gering’s fire department as like a brotherhood where everyone supports each other through trainings and on scene.
Lincoln Elementary preschoolers enjoyed a visit from the Gering Fire Department in 2018 as part of Fire Prevention Week. Dick Cochrane, center, said he enjoys teaching youth about fire safety and firefighters’ gear.
The Gering Fire Department holds the West Nebraska Engine Academy annually, which gives firefighters on-the-job training to complete tasks within their task books. Cochrane participates as an Incident Command Type (ICT) 4 trainee.
“My role is getting the resources in,” he said. “I have to size up the fire and determine what resources are needed to put it out. Then I assess them and how they attacked it to help them read the smoke and wind conditions.”
Cochrane has also participated in CPR and wildland academy training, something he said he enjoys no matter what the training is on because it is invaluable to be properly trained.
“They’re all great trainings,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a refresher course in CPR or wildland academy training because they all offer good education.”
Aaron Nab and Dick Cochrane, both firefighters with the Gering Fire Department, prepare to fight the Spring Creek Fire burning its way through Colorado.
Gering firefighters have also served as a resource to other states like California, Colorado, Montana and Utah. The department sends firefighters to help aid local departments extinguish large fires, which not only benefits the local community, but also our firefighters.
“For all the time I’ve been here, we’ve gone out to different states as a resource,” Cochrane said. “The knowledge we get from fighting those fires we can bring that back and teach to the new firefighters.”
One technique he learned from that opportunity is the use of grid patterns, which divides the fire into squares to systematically search for microscale fire pattern indicators so firefighters can seek out hot spots and contain them.
Within the fire department, Cochrane said the team also provides feedback to each other.
“They offer feedback on things I don’t do good, otherwise, how do you know you’re doing good or bad,” he said.
Estrella Garcia smiles after Gering firefighter Dick Cochrane lifted Garcia into the fire engine. Cochrane was voted on as a member of the department 19 years ago after he completed an ENT class at the old St. Mary’s hospital.
Aside from using the trainings on fires or crashes, the Gering Fire Department visits area schools to educate students on fire safety. Some of those visits teach students the basics of stop, drop and roll whereas other visits teach students about how to escape and the basics of using bandages.
“We set out our bunker gear and encourage kids to put on the clothes so they know what we use the items for and then they see us dressed like that,” Cochrane said. “We want them to know we’re there to help.”
They also hold a fifth grade Junior Fire Patrol class that averages between 30 and 50 students.
Gering firefighter Captain Dick Cochrane strategizes how to fight a residential house fire with his team. Cochrane decided to become a firefighter following the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
“We teach them how to use bandages and how to escape from a fire,” he said. “They have to create a fire exit plan in their house, they learn how to use a fire extinguisher and we teach them that you don’t go back into the house once you’re outside.”
Although Cochrane does not see himself as a hero, his passion to give back has allowed him to save lives one fire or one classroom visit at a time.