Hieb brothers climb the ranks

Without men and women dedicating their lives to protecting others, what kind of chaos would ensue? 
Thanks to the hard work of firefighters and police officers across the country, we can sleep a little more peacefully each night knowing that emergency services are only a phone call away. 
The Hieb brothers, both graduates of Newcastle High School, have chosen to serve those heroic capacities, and they were both recognized recently for their service and dedication. Ryan Hieb was the recipient of Chadron State College’s Distinguished Young Alumni award for his work in the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, and his younger brother, Troy, was just promoted to captain of the Casper Fire Department. 
“I’m proud of what they’ve done, and they keep achieving new steps of what they’ve done in their jobs,” their father, Darrel Hieb, said. 
“I was extremely honored to get that award from the college. It was completely unexpected,” Ryan said. “It was very meaningful to be honored and recognized by the college.”
Ryan works on a scientific computer crime team that focuses on cases that cross sexual boundaries, specifically child exploitation investigations, and anything involving computer crime. Last year was an “unprecedented year” when his team of six solved a case saving 16 children, which is more than the previous five years combined. 
“The most rewarding part of the job is saving children from really bad circumstances and situations … to give them a chance without that kind of abuse,” Ryan said. “Nothing is more important than protecting our children and our future.”
The value of children is a strong motivation for Ryan because his daughter Ashtyn, now 2 years old, nearly lost her life to a brain tumor. After numerous surgeries, she’s doing “amazing” now, but the experience taught Ryan to realign his priorities and balance family time with work. 
Troy also finds his line of work fulfilling. 
“It’s a very rewarding career — always getting to help people — that’s something I really enjoy,” he said. “It can be exciting, and it’s different. You never know what the next call is going to bring. … No call is the same.” 
Both boys developed an interest in fire-fighting at a young age, but somewhere along the line, Ryan changed his mind and pursued criminal justice. 
“Anyone who knew me knew I wanted to be a firefighter,” he said. 
After graduating from high school in 2006, Ryan attended Casper College, where he earned an associate degree in fire science and another in criminal justice. He was offered a job with the Casper Fire Departments, but then he also received a full-ride scholarship for CSC to further his studies in criminal justice, including an opportunity to study abroad in London. 
Ryan conducted both his undergrad and graduate studies in London, where he enjoyed learning the cultural differences of the criminal justice system in another country, he said. 
His second year in London was the year of the Olympics, and he had the privilege of working with the London Metropolitan Police and going inside the gates of Buckingham Palace, while learning the administrative and management side of the legal system. 
“It was just a huge educational system all the way around,” Ryan said. 
After earning his bachelor’s in criminal justice in 2010, Ryan landed a job with the Casper police  department. During the six years he served there, Ryan worked in patrol for two years and the Problem Oriented Response Team (PORT) for two more years. 
“Whatever was a problem, we were to come up with an idea and help it,” Ryan said. 
In his last two years with the police department, he was assigned to DCI, where he analyzed cell phones and data. That turned into a full-time position in 2016, the same year he earned his master’s degree. 
It wasn’t his original plan to go into criminal justice, but Ryan says he is grateful he did, and is thankful for a professor at CSC who encouraged him to pursue his master’s. 
“I never would have even saw myself doing a master’s at any point,” Ryan said, adding that having people do this job “makes the world a better place.”
He said DCI is “the best of the best,” and he has worked with some great crews over the years. 
“I can’t say enough about that. We just have some really great people here. … That’s what I owe a lot of stuff in my career to,” Ryan said. 
And that’s what Troy says he enjoys about his new position as a captain. 
“I’m pretty grateful for the crews and the relationships of the people I work with,” he said. “That’s one of the most rewarding things — the group of people I work with are hands-down great people. They would literally do anything for you, on duty or off duty.” 
Although he didn’t pursue a fire-fighting career, Ryan was influential in Troy’s decision to fight fires. 
“I definitely have to credit my start to my brother in the fire service,” Troy said. 
When Ryan joined the Explorer’s cadet program, Troy began spending every free moment he had at the fire department until he was old enough to join the program at 14, serving as a chief for most of his four years of high school. 
Darrel recalled the time Troy was on his first date in high school when a call for a fire came in. Instead of keeping his date, Troy apologized to his date and left for the call. 
“They (Ryan and Troy) never missed a fire when they were out here,” Darrel said. “They would try to run through a block wall to get to a fire — they’re that dedicated.” 
Troy became a full member of the fire department when he turned 18 and volunteered in Newcastle for six years. After graduating from high school in 2010, Troy went on to graduate from Casper College in December 2013 with three associate degrees in fire science, engineering science and business administration. 
Like his brother, Troy furthered his studies in Chadron and earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2015. He began working for the Casper Fire Department in 2016 as a probationary firefighter before moving up the ranks to a regular firefighter then an engineer in 2018. 
With a lot of experience in basic fire-fighting skills and driving the trucks, Troy was ready for the next level to further his knowledge base and career. According to Troy, the captain position involves leadership and management skills, the ability to make split-second decisions, and administration roles.
The fire department has “good succession planning,” according to Troy, so he had had some experience. But he admitted that there is a lot more “weight on (his) shoulders” now that he is holding the position instead of merely acting in the position.
“It’s definitely always intrigued me, and it’s a challenge,” Troy said. “Casper does a really good job of setting people up for success for the next position. … That’s helped the transition a lot.” 
Darrel said his sons are always willing to help “anyone and everyone,” doing the right thing even when it “goes against the grain.” While they were growing up, he said, they were “brutally honest” and never lied to him, so as a father, he was confident in his trust of them.
“They’ve both been good boys, easy to raise. (I’m) proud of them, and they never caused me any grief,” Darrel said. “I think they both do the right thing.”
Troy’s schedule has him working two full days on then four days off, so it allows him to spend time at home with his wife, Hannah, and daughter, Adelaide. Ryan also lives in Casper with his wife, Kelsey, and their daughter, Ashtyn.