The Crookston Fire Department named Derek Cox their Firefighter of the Year Award for 2023. Derek Cox works for the police department as an on-call firefighter. Cox has worked in Crookston for seven years but started with the Police Department in March.
The Firefighter of the Year award is given to the firefighter who exemplifies the true meaning of commitment and pride in the organization for the current year. Cox says why he thinks he was nominated for the award.
“For me, I just go to work at the fire department. I try to do my best, so it was definitely unexpected when they called my name the other night,” Cox said. “So it was much appreciated that I was able to get it and that they nominated me on that. I know one thing they said was ‘leadership’ in the department, which is just something that I try to strive to do. Wake up every day, and just try to do what’s right and what’s best, not only for me, but the bigger picture and the ultimate goal of a fire department or the police department. You just try to do the best you can.”
Cox is originally from Walker, Minnesota, and he graduated from the University of Minnesota Crookston in 2011. Cox tells us why he chose a career in this field.
“I came up here, I was interested in law enforcement,” said Cox. “I ended up getting a job here at the jail. Progressed that to the sheriff’s office, and I was at the sheriff’s office for some time before I switched over to the Police Department. But with my time at the sheriff’s office, it’s one of those things where you get a few calls from the community, where I saw firsthand when there was a lack-there-of of first responders able to respond. And that’s just the rural environment with being an on-call or volunteer fire departments in the community, sometimes you don’t know who’s going to answer the call. So it’s something I sat there and kind of tried to figure out: I do the work on the law enforcement side and just try to take off a hat and put on another. That was something I wanted to try, and I talked to a couple of the guys down at the Fire Hall, and they convinced me to put in an application and they brought me on, and it’s been a great decision to do that.”
Cox typically responds to emergencies like grass fires during dry summers, as well as equipment fires during harvest. Car crashes in the winter are also a frequent call he gets when the conditions are tough. He says that house fires have been declining due to how houses are built. Cox says that there were experiences this year where he learned a lot.
“We did have a couple of pretty good grass fires this year where it was definitely a learning experience for me with how big and how much fire does not discriminate on who’s standing in front of it,” Cox said. “So it’s something that we keep in mind when we’re out there is: be safe on our own so we get to go home too.”
Fire Chief Shane Heldstab asked the staff at the Fire Hall for nominations. Whenever the staff noticed that someone did something impressive, they would take notice. Cox was nominated by a couple of staff members, and after Helstab talked with them, he said it was an easy decision.
“He can speak very eloquently. He knows how to bring things to the table,” Heldstab said. “He’s one of those guys that is not afraid to address a problem, where, if we have an issue, he’s been able to help find the solution. He’s one of those guys that will always sit down, and then we can work together and try to find that solution and just keep moving forward. And that’s one of the biggest things, and he’s helped change the culture around here.”
Cox also thanks his colleagues at the fire hall and encourages anyone in the community who is interested and thinks they are capable of helping out to come down to the fire hall and have a conversation.
