Public Media from Michigan State University

Fire chief turned lawmaker Tom Cochran reflects on 9/11, first responder health

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Rep. Tom Cochran (D-Mason)
Amanda Pinckney

As the nation marks 15 years since the September 11 tragedy, we talk with former Lansing fire chief and current state Representative Tom Cochran about how those events affected local first responders in mid-Michigan.

This Sunday marks 15 years since the 9/11 terror attacks. Images of the hijacked airliners which crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field are etched into our collective conscience, but even on that terrible day, stories of heroic first responders abounded.

The Michigan House of Representatives held a 9/11 remembrance ceremony a today.

Current State talks with a member of the House who is also a former first responder here in mid-Michigan. Democrat Tom Cochran represents parts of south Lansing and Ingham County.  He also spent 28 years as a Lansing firefighter, five of those years as Fire Chief.

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Kevin Lavery served as a general assignment reporter and occasional local host for Morning Edition and All Things Considered before retiring in 2023.