CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A career as a first responder can be rewarding. Members of the Corpus Christi Fire Department serve their community, saving lives and helping fellow citizens.
“The most rewarding part is probably being able to help the community, to be there for someone’s worst moment and to help them through it,” said Captain Cody Erying of CCFD.
Eyring has worked for CCFD for nearly 14 years. When he was in school, he studied physiotherapy. He loved the medical side of his studies, and that, along with his father’s service in the fire department and the ability to help his community, all inspired him to make a career out of it.
“Being able to be there for that person is quite rewarding, in that they feel calm, they feel safe, and they’re trying to help them,” he said.
During his time with the department, Eyring served as a paramedic, before progressing to his current role as captain. His team works around the clock, and he said that at this time they were getting closer.
“It’s definitely a second family,” he said. “In my early days, when I rode in the ambulance, we had a very tight-knit team. All our families have become close families outside the department.
Over the course of 14 years, Eyring worked on many memorable calls, but he said one particular type of call stood out to him more than others.
“A lot of pediatric calls stay with you forever, and those are really memorable because they’re kids,” he said. “Those who always hit a little harder, especially if you have children, make you think a little more.”
For two years, the profession has changed a little because of the pandemic. Eyring said his crews were wearing more PPE than before the pandemic. They are also masking up for every call and taking more precautions when entering people’s homes.
He said the start of the pandemic was difficult for crews.
“If it was a general sickness/sickness call, almost everyone had a COVID-related symptom,” Eyring said. “So it was on a very large scale.”
Eyring also said that as the number of cases increases, it puts more pressure on paramedics in particular.
“Our doctors were pretty beat up, in terms of making a lot of calls, and we had situations where staff got COVID, so we were understaffed. The guys had to get in the ambulance more often, because we usually rotated, but we constantly had to work multiple shifts in a row,” he said.
Eyring said the department will likely keep certain protocols in place as the country emerges from the pandemic, such as crews masking up for potentially contagious medical calls.
If becoming a first responder with CCFD sounds appealing, the fire department is hiring for apprentice firefighter positions.
Applicants must be between the ages of 19 and 35, be US citizens, and have a valid driver’s license and a high school diploma or GED. The deadline to apply is Friday at 5 p.m. More information about CCFD website. No firefighter or medical training is required.
Eyring recommends joining the department.
“It’s a great job. I love what I do, I love coming to work every day,” he said. “You see a lot of people there, they go to work as a routine. I love coming to work, I love my job, I love my guys.
