In 2012, Matthew Hooker was named Firefighter of the Year while serving as an Engineer with the St. Johns County Fire Rescue. This year, the newly promoted lieutenant received the recognition of Paramedic of the Year.
Matthew was also recognized with an SJCFR Unit Citation in January of 2016 for his role in the rescue and resuscitation of a citizen found inside a burning building. While his many accolades speak volumes to his unwavering dedication, they do not fully illustrate the length and breadth of his journey to this point.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Matthew joined the fire department in January 1994 at the age of 16. Even then he showed great potential, earning the highest final grade in his Emergency Medical Technician class and finishing at the top of his firefighting school as well.
Matthew would go on to achieve numerous certifications during his time with SJCFR, including Aerial Operator, Hazardous Materials Operator, and Rope Rescue Technician (just to name a few).
In 2010, his performance slowed when he was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer. While he says the experience brought him awareness for how an ordinarily healthy person could be sidelined by a medical issue, he also learned the importance of early detection and prevention.
“[The experience] forced me to take a hard look at how easily and how often we in the fire service are exposed to cancer-causing chemicals, and how badly we need to reconsider how we do our jobs with a greater focus on prevention and early recognition and screening,” says Matthew, who now serves on the Cancer Prevention Committee for his department. “I am convinced my illness was the result of on-the-job exposure.”
Clearly his status as a cancer survivor has not slowed down his career progression. Of his latest recognition as Paramedic of the Year, Matthew says that he sees the award as an opportunity.
“I have a chance to represent the effort and dedication of everyone else who wears the uniform,” says Matthew. “I am surrounded by individuals who are unquestionably better medics than I am, better firefighters, better at a lot of technical disciplines. My role is to foster that greatness and encourage the people around me to constantly strive to get to the next level, whatever that may be for them individually.”
Finally, he says the recognition gives him a great sense of personal pride and an opportunity to be a role model for his two young children, Jamie and Evelyn.
“I want [my] kids to be able to use me as a point of reference and see that anyone can accomplish big things through service to others,” said Matthew. “No one in the department has ever won both Firefighter and Paramedic of the Year. Maybe one day my kids will see those awards and realize that a lot of incredible people thought enough of my work to recognize their dad. Maybe they’ll be proud of their dad. That thought alone makes the rough days in the job worth it.”
Photography by Brian Miller.
