The other day, an “06880” Roundup item noted that Westport Emergency Medical Service crew chief Jay Paretzky received the Distinguished Achievement Award, at an international conference at Mohegan Sun.
He was chosen by the Connecticut EMS Council and state Office of Emergency Medical Services.
But Jay deserves another honor. He’s served our town for nearly half a century — almost all of it quietly, efficiently, and unsung.
Jay began as a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician in 1980, a few months after Westport’s EMS was founded. Over the past 45 years he has served as an EMT and crew chief, volunteering more than 30,000 hours.
Jay Paretzky
He has saved countless lives, while also contributing as a board member, CPR program coordinator, an officer and president of Westport EMS, and a member of the Connecticut EMS Advisory Board.
If you’ve been in Westport for any amount of time, you’ve probably seen him at work.
If you’ve been in Westport a while, you may well have been saved — or at least served — by him.
He doesn’t ask for thanks. He’s not a big accolades guy. (None of our EMTs and other first responders are in it for praise, either.)
But we can’t let this honor — or Jay Paretzky — go unnoticed. This week — and every one — he is our Unsung Hero.
(“06880” is proud to honor Unsung Heroes — and tell many other tales of town too. Please click here to support your hyper-local blog.)
Jay is such a good man. It was an honor to have worked in the same building with him (WPD/EMS) and they do it all low key and under the radar. Congrats Jay! Well deserved.
Excellent! Well deserved!
In addition to everything else he has volunteered for, Jay is also the original founder of the Westport Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Congratulations, Jay, and thank you for all you’ve done for the past half century!
Thanks Jay for your service to Westport our ems you do a wonderful job we are rely proud Of and to no you
I needed to get CPR certified to become a Girl Scout troop leader years ago & Jay was my instructor. He was terrific! YEARS later, I saw him again at a SLOBs meeting where he was volunteering to show the boys how to use AED’s. He was still terrific! Congrats & thank you for all you have done for the town.
I was a scout leader for many years and had the pleasure and luck to be able to bring my scouts to the EMS for first aid and CPR training. Jay was the best combination of informative and funny, and the kids loved him! Thanks, Jay! : )
Thanks Dan. I am singing the praises with the chorus of many voices for Unsung Hero Jay! He has taught so many of us so much, and his life saving, teaching, and volunteering lives on with all those who can now be there to help others. Well done Jay! (Though you probably wouldn’t be nearly as good if you weren’t half so funny…) 😂
Jay is fantastic. An incredible leader, and example.