'Time for a new challenge': Corpus Christi Fire Chief Robert Rocha retires after 11 years
Before Robert Rocha landed in Corpus Christi, he knew only a few things about the city.
From his travels south through San Antonio, he was familiar with the exit from Interstate 35 to Highway 37 toward the city. He knew Corpus Christi's fire department was similar in size to that of his native Kansas City.
And he knew it was a coastal community with nicer weather than he’d known in his hometown.
More than 11 years later, Rocha is retiring as chief of the Corpus Christi Fire Department — leaving behind an agency with increased staffing, higher-level degrees, more fire stations and other improvements.
Rocha’s last day with the department was Friday.
Rocha, 65, has spent 40 years total in the fire service and oversaw more than 440 firefighters and paramedics in Corpus Christi.
Born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas, Rocha was the fifth of six kids born to his father, a Mexican immigrant, and his mother, a Kansas native. He started his career at the Kansas City Kansas Fire Department, working his way up the ranks to second in command.
He received a bachelor’s degree in management and human relations from MidAmerica Nazarene University and a master’s degree in business administration from Benedictine College — a route he calls the road less traveled.
“I took a different strategy from other fire chiefs who get degrees in emergency management or public administration,” Rocha said. “I was looking more to run the fire department as a business — not a political entity, but a business. One that has to make money, one that has to have value, one that has to get a return on investment.”
Before becoming the Corpus Christi fire chief in 2011, Rocha, a single father to four, had never visited the city but knew about it from his trips to donate equipment and offer training to fire departments in Mexico.
During his time as chief, Rocha emphasized the importance of higher education throughout his department. To be a Corpus Christi firefighter, you must get a paramedic certification at Del Mar College. Rocha took this a step further by offering monthly stipends to those who continued their education to receive a bachelor’s degree.
“Nearly all of my commanders have bachelor’s degrees, with several master’s degrees, too, so I have a better-educated command staff,” Rocha said.
During his time at the fire department, Rocha reached nearly full staffing, increased the number of medic units from nine to 14, built two new fire stations with a third coming soon and the passing of Bond 2022 allowing the construction of two more, upgraded the entire fleet, established the hazardous materials teams as the FEMA Type I response team, manned an AMBUS for state and local missions, served as the chair of the local emergency planning committee and created the SOS Vaccination Program that was adopted by Gov. Greg Abbott as the model for the state of Texas at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
That program aimed to bring COVID-19 vaccines to seniors who did not have the ability to travel to or wait hours at a vaccination site. It targeted seniors who were part of city programs such as Meals on Wheels.
“There wasn’t anything we were trying to do other than administer a vaccine to people that needed it and couldn’t get it," Rocha said, "and it was so popular and so groundbreaking that the governor of Texas came down and lauded the fire department for its effort and mandated it across the state of Texas that they would follow the Corpus Christi model of vaccinating our most vulnerable population.”
Rocha is a member of the Nueces County Fire Chiefs Association, the Texas Fire Chiefs Association, the National Fire Protection Association and the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the president of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association.
He’s also on the board of directors of the United Way of the Coastal Bend, a member of the finance board of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church and a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus.
“Chief Rocha has led a distinguished career, earning the deep respect of his fellow firefighters and chiefs from throughout the nation,” Mayor Paulette Guajardo said in a text message. “As President of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association he has put Corpus Christi at the forefront on a global scale. All of us at the city offer our gratitude to Chief Rocha for his leadership and service.”
Rocha’s retirement plans include spending time with his two grandchildren. Though he won’t be fire chief, he plans to stick around as part of the community.
“I’m 65 years old, but I still have miles on the tread of my tires,” Rocha said. “I think I still want to be active, whether it is related to the fire service or just community service. It’s time for a new challenge and I’m always up for that.”
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Corpus Christi Fire Chief Robert Rocha retires after 11 years
