Umatilla County Fire District #1 honored one of its own Wednesday night with the retirement of Mark Johnson, a longtime paramedic and firefighter.
Johnson was hired July 1, 2000 with the district after having served in California’s Emergency Medical Services prior to that for 13 years. Those years included not only ground ambulance but air ambulances as well spending a large amount of time in helicopters.
Johnson’s effective retirement date with UCFD1 was March 31.
Those he worked with describe Johnson as a consummate professional when it came to pre-hospital medicine, always recognized as one of our finest paramedics on staff. Johnson enjoyed people and helping those in need and taking a huge amount of pride in his work and paramedic skills.
He was a past recipient of the district’s Medic of the Year Award in 2012. He also spent time on a federal disaster medical team, traveling the country and regions beyond our borders to help those in need after a disaster, such as a hurricane or the events of 9/11.
His colleagues sent him off with these words:
“We at UCFD1 will miss Mark’s smile, professionalism, and diligent work ethic. We wish him and his family all the joy and happiness in his retirement!”
