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| Louis Parker, Katy Rescue School Instructor - Heavy Tools |
Tue. Oct 27th 2009
Firefighter honored for two decades of service to county
By Matthew Jackson
Staff Reporter
Last month, after 20 years as a volunteer firefighter in Huntsville, Louis Parker retired from the Huntsville Fire Department.
Upon his retirement, HFD Chief Tom Grisham and his fellow firefighters honored Parker with a plaque commemorating his two decades of service as a firefighter, EMT and auto extrication rescue technician.
Though it was never his primary job, Parker’s firefighting resume is formidable. Raised in Houston, he trained in auto mechanics and worked in various auto shops throughout the area. In the mid-1980s, he joined the volunteer fire department at Waterwood in San Jacinto County, giving him his first taste of emergency services work.
?I started it back with Waterwood, seeing the need for volunteers in that area,? Parker said. ?It was something I was interested in, and capable of doing, so I signed up.?
Parker served the Waterwood Volunteer Fire Department for 5 years before joining the volunteer division of the Huntsville Fire Department in 1989.
?Waterwood wasn’t working out as many calls as I would have liked,? Parker said of his decision to switch departments. ?I had some associations in Huntsville, and in that process I found out about some openings up here.?
In 1994 Parker permanently relocated to Huntsville to work at Wiesner Automotive’s new Huntsville location, after spending two years at their Conroe location.
With some emergency medical technician training already under his belt from his Waterwood days, Parker used his time in Huntsville to learn even more about the various aspects of emergency work, including training in what has become his specialty: auto extrication.
?With my automotive background I was able to get into auto extrication, and became a Captain (of the Rescue Brigade),? Parker said. ?In 2002 the Huntsville Fire Department and the Walker County Firefighters Association teamed up and sent me to Shelby, N.C., where I got my ?Train the Trainer’ certification for auto extrication.?
Parker’s passion for auto extrication frequently brought him to the scene of serious auto accidents, where he could be seen not only operating the various hydraulic jaws and cutters used in the process, but directing and instructing others on how to free trapped motorists quickly and safely.
Parker’s expertise on the subject has earned him accolades and respect not only from his colleagues in Walker County, but opportunities to work as an instructor at various Texas fire schools, including 13 years with the Katy Auto Extrication School, where he is one of four head instructors.
Parker’s two decades of work on Walker County fires has led to not only a great deal of experience, but an even greater sense of camaraderie with his fellow firefighters.
When asked what the most intense situation he’s ever seen at a fire was, he immediately thinks of his comrades.
?I can remember one of the worst feelings I ever had would have been at Timbercrest Townhomes when we actually thought we lost a firefighter inside the building,? Parker said. ?The accountability system that we now use was in its infancy at that point. We thought someone was there that actually wasn’t even on the fire scene that day. We got looking for him and couldn’t find him. To me that’s very stressful when you think you’ve lost a fellow firefighter.?
When asked what he will miss most about his work with HFD, his first response is the camaraderie; his second is the ability to help others.
?This past Saturday night we went out to a fundraiser and a guy walked and said ?Do you recognized me?’ It was a guy who I had got out of a truck on an accident scene seven years ago,? Parker said. ?That was such a good feeling to see a gentleman like that.?
Though Parker will no longer be at fire scenes and auto accident scenes, his knowledge and commitment have left a mark on the Huntsville Fire Department that, according to HFD Chief Tom Grisham, will not soon fade away.
?We have very few people that are there now that have been there over 15 or 20 years. He has a lot of knowledge that he shared with those guys, and they all looked up to him, and that means a lot to the fire department when you have ?go to’ man when you have a question or a concern,? Grisham said. ?I think they’re going to miss that. One of the most important things that we’re there for is to save lives and protect property, and he brought that to the fire department. It’s going to be tough to replace that.?
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