SOUTH DEERFIELD — As South County EMS Chief Joshua Sparks steps down, Deerfield native Tim Drumgool will return to his hometown to lead the station that kickstarted his career.

Sparks, who started steering South County EMS in January 2024 after working as an emergency medical technician (EMT) in southern California and central Massachusetts, said he is “stepping away to devote more time to family.”

“A lot of people’s safety and livelihood and well-being really depends on me being able to perform well,” Sparks said in May, sitting in his office at the South County EMS station. “And right now, I have a lot of obligations at home that require my attention, so it’s not fair to divide those loyalties.”

South County EMS paramedic Zachary Battistoni is currently serving as interim chief until Drumgool’s return on July 6.

The structure of South County EMS as a “rare” municipal agency that is separate from the fire and police departments first drew Sparks to the job. As its own agency, the town oversees every penny that South County EMS spends, holding the station accountable while allowing for focused medical education and training, according to Sparks.

“The purpose really becomes all about delivering emergency health care to an area. You don’t see that in a lot of other types of care,” Sparks said.

He described feeling a “great sense of achievement” over his strides in “ensuring a high quality of service.” This goal took many forms, including securing time off for the EMS providers and other steps to improve their quality of life.

Looking back on his time as chief, Sparks said he will miss the relationships he formed on the job with the crew of nine full-time paramedics the most.

“The providers at South County EMS are very motivated by a sense of doing what’s best for their community. They’re very focused on not letting people down and doing everything they can to help ensure good outcomes,” Sparks said.

“To me, EMS is a team sport. You can’t do it alone,” South County EMS provider Adam Martin said outside the station.

Martin described Sparks as “community-minded.”

“He’s very kind and he looks out for his employees. Personally, I’m going to miss him a lot,” echoed Theresa Emerson, another South County EMS paramedic.

According to Sparks, the EMS profession attracts “a particular group of folks.”

“It’s people who really want a lot of autonomy. It’s a chance to have a very meaningful contribution within the community doing important work in a way that is challenging mentally, emotionally and physically,” Sparks said. “There’s a duality to it — sometimes it is exhilarating and terrifying at the same time, and other times, we find humor in the darkest places, and that’s a very human experience.”

Although Sparks said each day comes with different calls to the station, the lack of routine became a routine of its own over Sparks’ three decades in the field.

“At a certain point, nobody can say that they’ve seen it all, but they probably wouldn’t be surprised by anything,” Sparks said.

Drumgool, 33, started his career as an EMT in Deerfield back in 2012 before Deerfield, Whately and Sunderland formed South County EMS. After working as a full-time paramedic at the station for 13 years, he switched gears to pursue a supervisory role as the operations captain at Northfield EMS last August.

While he continues to work part-time for South County EMS, Drumgool reviews patient care reports and oversees the training, scheduling, supplies and “operational day-to-day needs” of the paramedics in Northfield.

“South County is always going to be my home,” Drumgool said. “When the chief position became available, I knew that was something that I wanted to apply for.”

Like Sparks, the South County EMS model helped bring Drumgool back to Deerfield, along with the station’s “very close-knit group of people.”

“I love South County, I’ve been part of South County since its inception, and I really just want to help the department continue to grow and continue supporting the people that I’ve worked with my whole career,” Drumgool said.

As the next South County EMS chief, he plans on expanding the station’s services and trainings, and “just trying to be the best ambulance service we can be, as clichéd as that sounds,” he said.

Like Sparks, Drumgool prefers the unpredictability of each day over the set schedule of an office job. For Drumgool, what separates a good work day from a bad work day does not depend on the degree of the EMS response.

“A good day could be something as simple as you’re helping somebody out who had an asthma attack or you’re treating somebody who’s having a life-threatening medical problem and you’re able to prevent them from getting worse or help them to recover and live a longer life,” Drumgool said. “Some of my most meaningful calls have been the little ones where you get to see a small impact have a big effect on somebody.”

Over the years, Drumgool has kept the “Thank you” cards and kind messages from patients.

“The reward and satisfaction you can have in making a difference in somebody’s life is just immeasurable,” he said.