ORLANDO, Fla. – Between his time in the Air Force Reserve and at the Orlando Fire Department, Joseph Passmore has been serving the Central Florida community for over a decade.
Passmore is a firefighter paramedic at OFD station 10 in Orlando. He said the rewarding career all began with his father's intuition.
"Actually my dad told me I should do this because I was looking into going to another profession," Passmore said. "He always said that I would make a good firefighter paramedic because of how I work around people, how I work under pressure and my ability to train," Passmore said.
When not on shift at the station or spending quality time with his son, Passmore finds time to train new medics entering the department.
"Seeing them get to go off and do their jobs somewhere else in the world is really rewarding because I know they are taking some knowledge that I‘ve been able to give them and that I’ve gotten from other people," Passmore said.
Passmore said he is proud to answer each call with care and attention, as if those involved are family.
"I treat everyone the same, I would want someone who would respond to my son if he had an emergency," he said. "I would want someone to respond and treat him just like they would their own son, mother, father."
However, some calls do stick out in Passmore's mind.
"One of the most memorable times I can remember is someone who was unresponsive who could actually hear me and I was talking to them at the time, and they came back and thanked me afterwards. It was a very good feeling" Passmore said.
From serving abroad to right here in Central Florida, Passmore said he wants people to know what the Fourth of July means to him.
"I’ve been around the world and I know no matter where I’ve gone, in almost every country I’ve been to, people want to come to the United States," Passmore said. "So it must mean something. No matter what, we are all one, we are all in this country together."
This Fourth of July, join News 6 in Saluting his Service, and being thankful for this country we live in.