At age 3, in his yellow rain slicker and red plastic fire helmet, Joshua Weissman put out fires. Josh was meant to be an emergency responder and he knew it from the beginning. For him, it was not a choice, but a calling.
At 16, Josh began volunteering with the Cayuga Heights Fire Department and started to acquire the necessary skills and credentials to follow his dream. He was an active member for the next nine years, serving as a lieutenant, rescue director, and company president. During this time, Josh also attended school at Ithaca College. He graduated in 2000 with a bachelor’s in history.
Josh was employed by Bangs Ambulance in Ithaca, TLC Emergency Medical Services in Cortland, and Rural-Metro Medical Services of Central New York in Syracuse. Josh then moved to Virginia, and was a paramedic for the District of Columbia Fire Department before joining the Alexandria Fire Department. He served with the AFD as a paramedic for seven years and won many awards, including the 2011 Outstanding Pre-Hospital Provider Award for the Northern Virginia region. Josh was known to provide additional comfort to individuals and families he had helped by visiting their homes after the emergency subsided.
Josh met his wife Rebecca when they were both volunteers at the CHFD. They were married in 2005.
Josh died on February 9, 2012, from injuries sustained while responding to a vehicle fire. Josh, a quiet hero, gone too soon, lived his dream.