Honorees

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Year Honored
2013
Honoree
Joshua A. Weissman
Title
Paramedic
Agency
Alexandria Fire Department
Agency City
Alexandria
Agency State
VA
Last Call
2/9/12
Cause of Death
Other Trauma
Biography
As a student volunteer, he lived at the fire station. There he met and fell in love with another volunteer, Rebecca Updike. They married in 2005. Joshua served with several ambulance companies including Bangs in Ithaca, N.Y., TLC in Cortland, N.Y., Rural-Metro in Syracuse, N.Y. and the Washington, D.C. Fire Department. At 26, he joined the Alexandria Fire Department where he served for more than seven years. Joshua's peers and supervisors praised his clinical skills and his commitment to those he served. He was known to visit the homes of the individuals and families he helped, to provide comfort after an emergency subsided; beyond serving as an emergency responder.<br /> <br /> Joshua participated in numerous committees for the department and as an instructor. His former students have expressed enormous respect for his work with some crediting Joshua for changing their lives with his teaching. Joshua's work has been recognized by numerous awards including the Alexandria Jaycees Award in 2011 for his contributions to the Field Training Program for EMS Interns, and the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce Valor Award. He loved and was loved by those with whom he worked.<br /> <br /> Only Joshua's dedication to his beloved wife Rebecca and his family and friends equaled dedication to his work. He was an amazing husband and filled Rebecca's life with so much love and a lifetime of wonderful memories to cherish. Beyond work and family Joshua filled his life with his love of construction equipment, American history, caring for his garden, playing with his most loved cat Nahla and as a proud fan of the New York Rangers, New York Jets and the New York Mets.<br /> <br /> On the evening of February 9, 2012, Paramedic Weissman responded to a report of a car accident and fire on an I-395 overpass. His ambulance stopped in the opposite lanes to reach the vehicle. With rain and smoke and flashing lights on a dark night, he jumped over the guardrail and fell through a gap between the roads and into Four Mile Run Creek, which is approximately 20-30 feet below the interstate. He was knocked unconscious on the rocks. Witnesses say his colleagues rescued him from the water and gave him CPR. He was rushed to Washington Hospital Center where he later died from his injuries.<br /> <br /> Honored 2013