Blazing the Path to Civil Engineering

For some, a career in civil engineering is pursued gradually and developed over time. For others, it is a passion they have chased from a young age.

Sandy Cooper is among the rare few who have heard the calling to firefighting from a young age. Inspired to follow a couple members of her family, Cooper started her firefighting career in 1981 at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. After basic training, she went through fire school and was later stationed at Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire, on her first assignment. She continued on to have both military and civilian careers in CE, completing a total of over 35 years served. "Getting to save lives and do what I do is something I’m deeply devoted to, even today,” Cooper said. “Being a firefighter is a huge passion for me, in every way.”

Cooper’s career was one that had many firsts. Most notably, she is the Air Force’s first female fire chief. While Cooper often found herself to be the only woman in many spaces throughout the earlier parts of her career, she used it to fuel her ambitions and didn’t allow it to deter her from achieving her career goals.

Reflecting on how times have changed since she first began her firefighting career, Cooper still sees room for improvement in creating more opportunities for women to get involved in civil engineering. One of the biggest takeaways from her experience that she would like to pass along to other women wanting to join civil engineering is the importance of supporting one another. “Something I learned throughout my time in the military is the importance of reaching down to pull the next person up,” Cooper said. “Don’t fight other women for opportunities or make it a competition because they are not your competition. We are all a team.”

Cooper has continued her passion for firefighting and serving her community, even after leaving the military in 2007 as a chief master sergeant. Today, she is part of a community emergency response team, or CERT, which is an all-volunteer organization that assists her local fire department in Mesquite, Nevada. The organization focuses on safety education and disaster preparedness, and coordinates with FEMA to better serve the community in the event of fires and other natural disasters.

“There’s a reason why I still volunteer with CERT. It’s because I love it!” Cooper said. “I miss my time with the Air Force, and all the camaraderie and teamwork that came with it. This way, I still get to stay connected to doing what I love.”

Cooper has a plethora of skillsets she still utilizes today, and she attributes it all to her time with the Air Force. “I give so much credit to the military for all my organization and public speaking skills,” Cooper reflected. “Because of my experience, I’m able to mobilize, send out team members, and handle multiple tasks at a time. All of it, every aspect, came from the military.”

The civil engineer community is still very important to Cooper, and she prioritizes staying as connected as possible to it in her retirement. She attends firefighter reunions held at Hill AFB, Utah, and McChord Air Force Base, Washington, where she previously served as an assistant fire chief as a civil service member. She is also a member of a civil engineer retiree group and attends their reunions as well. Cooper misses her time as a civil engineer and being part of the military, so this is her way to stay involved.

Throughout her firefighting career and into her retirement, Cooper has maintained an unwavering commitment to serving the community. It is a passion she has had for many years, ever since she was a child, and she is certainly continuing to pursue that passion in extraordinary ways.