HOMETOWN HERO: Fire Marshal Cody Derrick, Stephenville Fire Department

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By DAVID SWEARINGEN
TheFlashToday.com

EDITOR’S NOTE: Residents of Erath County are very fortunate to have many men and women who make living here safe, many of whom are volunteers. They are Hometown Heroes! These people keep us safe and we owe them our thanks and our respect.  THANK YOU!

STEPHENVILLE (February 17, 2017) – Cody Derrick has served as the Stephenville Fire Marshal since October 2009. 

He was born in Dublin on November 2, 1974, and was a year old when he and his family moved to Stephenville.  He has lived in Stephenville ever since with the exception of a five year span from 1984 to 1989, when his family moved a lot because of his stepdad’s finding work during tough economic times.  So, he has been a Stephenville resident for the past 28 years.  Derrick has one sister, Kathy (of Stephenville), and two brothers, Jason and Monty. And he has been married to his wife, Crystal, for nearly 16 years.   

Derrick’s great-grandfather, Sherwood Foster, along with his wife, Myrtie, founded the Foster’s Home for Children, located on Highway 108 (Graham Street) at the northern edge of town.  They did this by donating a spacious home and land at the current location of the Foster Home.  Sherwood and Myrtie also made similar contributions to Children’s Homes in Lubbock, Quinlan and Cherokee.  Sherwood Foster passed away in 1974, the same year Derrick was born.  Derrick and his wife live on the old family ranch just outside of town and are currently in the process of becoming “Foster to Adopt Parents” with the Foster’s Home for Children.  

Derrick graduated from Stephenville High School in 1993, and it was there he attended the SHS Career Day Firefighter Presentation.  The firefighter program was presented by current Stephenville Fire Chief Jimmy Chew. Derrick said that day was when he decided the firefighting life was for him. He first got his paramedic certification at Tarleton State University in 1995.  And also received his firefighter certification the same year from TEEX @ Texas A&M.  Derrick’s career as a paramedic/firefighter began in Stephenville in 1996.

He has also served his country as a firefighter, doing a 6-month stint in Kosovo as a contract firefighter for the U.S. Army in 2000.  Upon his return, Derrick went to work for the Glenn Heights (Texas) Fire Department, where he worked until August 2004 when he returned to the Stephenville Fire Department.

Derrick was promoted to Fire Inspector with the SFD in 2006 and became Fire Marshal in 2009.  In 2012, he graduated from the Police Academy at Tarrant County Junior College to complete his triple certification of paramedic, firefighter and police officer.

Though he mainly works 8-hour days now, that can change at any moment in his chosen line of work. Derrick said his favorite part of the job is when he gets to teach fire safety to the young kids. He is also available to teach fire safety to older kids as well as the elderly upon request.  

Derrick told The Flash the first of his most memorable moments as a paramedic/firefighter was while he was working in Glenn Heights. He and a Police Officer (who was also an EMT) delivered a baby at a woman’s house and later transported the mother and baby safely to the hospital. 

His second most memorable moment was when he helped to fight the Landmark Apartments fire in Stephenville back in 2006.  That particular fire is believed to be the largest fire ever in the city of Stephenville and area firefighters fought it for more than 24 hours.  The apartments were located on Lillian Street and Derrick remembers sleeping on a cot in the middle of Lillian Street so that he could wake up and go back to  help fight the fire more. Lillian Street was totally blocked off to all traffic at this time and emergency teams put up a tent in the middle of Lillian Street to give the firefighters a place to rest.

Derrick said it was a strange feeling to wake up after sleeping in the middle of what is usually such a busy street and opening his eyes to the cemetery right there.  And, then it was time to get back to work.  Derrick said he can hardly count how many grass fires he has fought over the years.  

Derrick used to play a lot of slow pitch softball around the area for numerous teams, but after 20 years his  knee injuries (from high school football as well as an injury on the job) caught up with him and he had to give up his softball playing days. 

Today, he stays active working around the ranch and enjoying the outdoors.  He is a huge SHS Football Fan and he never misses a game, home or away.  He even created a website (www.stephenvilleyellowjackets.com), which has an unbelievable amount of information on the history of Yellow Jacket football.  Derrick is a member of the Stephenville Optimist Club, Board Member of the FCA and he and his wife attend First Baptist Church of Stephenville. 

 “I wanted to find a career that was going to be rewarding and different every day,” Derrick said of choosing firefighting. “That and something that would allow me to work on the family ranch as well.”  


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