Job Bank UCMC News Calendar Hospital Staff Administration Volunteers History Contact Us Qualifications and Awards Financial Arrangements Patient Rights and Responsibilities Advance Directives Visiting Hours Admissions and Discharge Gift Shop and Cafeteria 1530 N. Limestone Street Gaffney, SC 29340 864.487.4271 mail@upstatecarolina.org		Upstate Carolina EMS Professional Selected SC Paramedic of the Year Prepared by: Steve Wong Upstate Carolina Medical Center Marketing Phone 864-487-1515 Josh Parker As a 10-year veteran paramedic, Josh Parker has seen a lot, and it takes a lot to surprise him these days. He was very surprised in May 2006 when he responded to a plane crash in his hometown of Blacksburg and found SC Lt. Governor Andre Bauer in the wreckage. He was even more surprised a year later when he was selected SC Paramedic of the Year for his heroic work with the Lt. Governor. More of a man-of-action rather than words, Parker received peer recognition and a plaque at the 2007 South Carolina EMS Symposium in April at Myrtle Beach. In presenting the award, Debbie Hession, director of the Upstate EMS Council, said, “He was first on the scene and radioed directions to the heavily wooded area off the roadway and reported that both patients were free of the wreckage. His scene survey noted heavy fire, power lines down, and this was not an ultra light, but a single-engine plane. As he began triage, he noted the pilot was Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer… Outside agencies had to be notified—FAA, HAZMAT, DHEC, etc., and the media had to be addressed. Our Paramedic of the Year handled all of these duties with courtesy and professionalism. He remained on the scene for the next 24 hours with his volunteer fire department, only leaving after all agencies and the plane were removed from the scene.” "We are all just so proud of Josh," John Gelok, EMS Director at Upstate Carolina Medical Center, said. "He is very deserving, a nice guy, a hard worker, professional. He handled himself and the situation with the Lt. Governor very well. They could not have made a better selection for the South Carolina Paramedic of the Year." Parker, 30, lives in his native hometown of Blacksburg with his wife Paula. His mom (Diane), dad (Perrin) and his sister (Dee Gee) all live nearby. He has worked at Upstate Carolina Medical Center for the past 11 years, 10 of which he’s been a paramedic. He received his professional training at Cleveland Community College. A member of the Macedonia Baptist Church, Parker is Chief of the Buffalo Volunteer Fire Department, a part-time employee of the Grassy Pond Fire Department, a deputy coroner, and director of the Cherokee County Fire Chiefs’ Association. In his spare time, he teaches life-saving classes. When asked how he felt about receiving this distinction, he said he was "honored and privileged." 2007 News Archive