For The Press and Standard
Colleton County Fire Rescue Firefighter Paramedic Mitch Stewart serves as a volunteer assigned to Station 15 (Islandton).
Mitch has forty-four years of emergency services experience. He started out as a volunteer for his hometown rescue squad in Landrum, South Carolina, in 1979. While in college, he became a reserve at Spartanburg EMS and later transitioned to a full-time employee for twenty-two years. His certifications include: EMT, intermediate, and paramedic. He began working as an EMT then moved up to a shift supervisor running the heavy rescue unit for Spartanburg County; he oversaw thirty-one employees on eighteen units. Mitch also served as a SWAT Medic during his time at Spartanburg EMS. After moving to Boiling Springs, he joined the Boiling Springs Fire Department as a volunteer and obtained his OSHA Firefighter certification. Mitch left public service for two years to be the training manager for Hurst Jaws of Life. Upon returning to EMS, he served as the Assistant Director of Union County EMS and remained there for four years before taking the EMS Director position at Upstate Carolina Medical Center. After the hospital privatized EMS, he was hired at PRISMA Health and became a Critical Care Paramedic (FP-C). In 2017, he moved to Colleton County and began working for DHEC.
Over his career, Mitch has received several Paramedic of the Year awards from South Carolina, NAEMT, and EMS World Magazine. With more than thirty-eight years of teaching experience around the country and the Bahamas, he is currently an instructor in several disciplines including Extrication and Farmedic. Mitch has presented at SC EMS Symposium, SC Fire/Rescue Conference, Southeastern Fire School, Georgia Extrication School, NASCAR, and EMS World Expo. He was a member of Darlington Raceway Safety Team for several years serving on Turn 1 and 3 tool trucks. He enjoys extrication very much and likes to share his knowledge and experience with others, Mitch appreciates the fact that CCFR allows him to share his knowledge and serve the community in which he lives.
Mitch married his wife, Angie, in 2017, and they serve as co-coordinators for the SC FAST (First Responders Assistance and Support Team). Believing that mental health and one’s well-being is important for first responders, they volunteer to be a PEER when responders face tough times.
When Mitch isn’t working, he likes to spend time with his family; he has two sons, Logan and Trevor, and a stepson, Brandon. Mitch and Angie enjoy traveling, date nights that allow them to try new restaurants, Jeeping, attending outdoor events, and occasional bike rides.
