“Everyone has one or two incidents that stick with them,” recently retired Clearwater Firefighter Cory Broich said when asked about his 15 years on the fire department. One of those incidents for Broich occurred in 2010, when he was nearly killed responding to a call on Interstate 94.

The fire department was finishing up at the scene of a vehicle fire west of Clearwater when a passing car with bad brakes swerved and slammed into Broich, pinning him between it and the fire truck he was standing behind, breaking both of his legs. 

“I didn’t remember what happened until I watched the dash cam video,” said Broich. “Then it all came flooding back.”

He recalls getting hit, crawling away so he didn’t get hit again, and feeling like his legs had been doused in gasoline and lit on fire. He was airlifted to St. Cloud Hospital in critical condition with extensive injuries to both legs. 

After numerous surgeries to repair his legs, hours of physical therapy, and setbacks from infections, he said it was over a year before he could function without a lot of pain. Ten years later he still has occasional twitches from nerve damage.

“Every firefighter knows that this job may cost you your life,” said Clearwater Fire Chief Ryan Pridgeon. “Cory came very close to paying that cost. He spent a couple years recovering from his injuries and working to rejoin the department.”

His fire department family was there for him and his wife and children through it all, holding fundraisers, visiting and encouraging him, and even making his house wheelchair friendly for when he first came home from the hospital. They weren’t surprised when he was ready to come back.

“It never crossed my mind not to come back [to the department],” he said. “I wanted to prove to myself that I could.”

Broich joined the Clearwater Fire Dept. a month after he and his growing family moved to the area.

“My grandfather and dad had been volunteer firefighters,” he said. “I had just moved to Clearwater and thought it would be a good way to meet new people and serve the community.”

Broich decided it was time to retire when his work schedule and busy life with his six children weren’t providing him the time he needed to dedicate to the department.

“It wasn’t fair for them [the fire department] to save a spot for me when I wasn’t able to make the amount of calls I should have been,” he said. “It was the best thing for me right now.”

Broich doesn’t leave out the possibility of someday returning to the department

“I’m glad I left on good terms and have that opportunity in the future,” he said. “I definitely enjoyed my time with the department and was sad to leave.”

He encourages anyone considering becoming a firefighter to give it a shot.

“It’s not for everyone, but absolutely give it a try,” Broich said. “You’ll meet some awesome people and have a lot of fun along the way. You give up time with your family, but in a way, it actually brings you closer together.”

“As the chief, I knew if Cory was driving Engine 11 (his favorite truck) that I had a steady operator for the pumper and a man who would be calm under pressure,” said Pridgeon. “He will be missed at CWFD for his knowledge and experience, and also because he is such good friends with everyone on the department.”

The Clearwater Fire Dept. is always looking for firefighters. Anyone who would like to apply to be a hometown hero is encouraged to stop by city hall to pick up an application.