Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend will recognize groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting the Great Bend Fire Department.
By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
For Great Bend Firefighter Cody Ruble, there is always potential danger
in handling fires and high-pressure responsibilities of running the EMS side of
working within a fire department. One of the most challenging aspects the Great
Bend native has adjusted to since joining the fire department is going without
sleep.
“It is tough when you’re constantly getting up in the middle of the night,”
said Ruble. “It helps that we have two stations in Great Bend and not all of
the calls fall on one station.”
Ruble, like other firefighters, work on shifts that will be on the job for 24
hours, get 24 hours off, work a 24-hour shift, get the next day off and then
return for another 24-hour shift before getting four straight days off.
Adjusting to the occasional lack of sleep with the fire department is worth it
for Ruble compared to what he initially thought his career was going to be.
“I originally wanted to be a game warden but some of the classes did not
interest me like the study of plants,” said Ruble.
Wanting to be a game warden was partly inspired by Ruble’s love to hunt. His
dad introduced him to hunting around the age of 12 or 13. Ruble to this day is
still an avid hunter, especially pheasant hunting.
After graduating from Great Bend High School in 2010, Ruble attended Barton
Community College to knock out his general education classes. After shedding
the thought of becoming a game warden, Ruble transferred to Fort Hays State
University with the idea to become a police officer.
“I stuck with the criminal justice classes and eventually a buddy invited me to
Wichita to do a ride along to see what it was like being a cop,” said Ruble. “I
determined I wanted to be firefighter instead.”
After a busy ride along with the Wichita law enforcement, Ruble joked that they
told him not to come back. He heeded that advice and started taking fire science
classes at Hutchinson Community College. Completing a field internship of 524
hours, Ruble worked at the fire department in Arkansas City, Kansas for a year.
“It was tough trying to balance studying for school and still handling fire
scenarios, cleaning and fixing trucks,” said Ruble.
Following the year in Ark City, Ruble saw an opening with the Great Bend Fire
Department.
“Great Bend asked what my training was and I told them I was a paramedic,” said
Ruble. “Sometimes in smaller departments, it is harder to get paramedics. The
fact that I was a paramedic and from here were big factors in me getting the
job.”
Growing up with a lot of the veteran firefighters’ children, Ruble said it was
easy to fit in with his new team in Great Bend.
“Pretty much everything I know I learned from the older guys,” said Ruble. “You’re
constantly watching them, soaking up everything they do.”
Being on top of his game is a constant job studying the changes with how to
handle fires and how to treat patients. Ruble
still takes educational classes each year and reads up on medical journals to
keep up with the constant changes in how to do his profession.
“I like doing the job,” said Ruble. “You come on shift and you do not know if
you are going to be running a bunch of calls or nothing. It is never the same
thing.”
One of the biggest dangers for any firefighter is walking into the unknown.
Ruble and his colleagues might be given a vague description before entering an unfamiliar
house and witness traumatic and sometimes devastating events while on the job.
“You have to find an outlet,” said Ruble. “Right now my outlet is my almost
two-year-old daughter. I make sure I play with her and she keeps me busy.”
Ruble has been with the GBFD for four and a half years.
Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking HERE.