Before he joined the South Carolina Highway Patrol, Trooper First Class John Chism regularly handled 7,200-volt electrical cables while dangling 40 feet above the ground, all to serve customers desperate to have their power restored after a storm. But he was seeking another high-voltage career that allowed him to serve others while still taking him to new (metaphorical) heights. 

“I always wanted to be on the South Carolina Highway Patrol,” said Chism, a native of Greenville County who now patrols the roadways of Spartanburg County. “But the more I did electrical work, the more I fell in love with that. It’s a service people can’t provide for themselves. So I started out with basic house wiring.” 

As a teenager, Chism worked in basic house wiring, which laid the foundation for him to segue into powerline maintenance as an adult. Over the years, Chism excelled as a lineman working through a storm to restore power, or traveling to aid recovery efforts in other states. Still, that spark of desire to be one of South Carolina’s Finest flickered in the back of his mind. 

“This is a calling I may have,” he remembered thinking. “Perhaps I needed another challenge. I really loved my job in electrical, but that’s all I knew.” 

After discussing it with his wife and a Highway Patrol recruiter, Chism achieved his dream and joined the South Carolina Highway Patrol in July 2023. But as with any career, Chism said, it’s essential to have an outlet or hobby. 

The case of Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old vlogger who disappeared in Utah while driving across the country with her fiancée, captivated the nation in August 2021. It also got Chism thinking.  

“How many thousands of people are currently missing in the United States right now?” he said. “Seeing their stories and faces on the news, whether it’s a kid, a teenager, or an adult, you know there’s a family waiting for this person to come home.” 

A friend of Chism’s volunteers with Spartanburg County Search and Rescue and helped him get involved in 2021. The organization has several specialty units, including K-9 and drone units, with more than 60 trained searchers.  

Many search and rescue organizations are completely volunteer, according to Chism. 

“People go missing all the time, and different law enforcement or emergency response agencies don’t always have the manpower to pursue every lead,” he said. 

Each specialty unit requires a different level of national certification, and volunteers participate in monthly training to keep their skills sharp. 

“It’s about wilderness survival,” Chism said. “Basic first aid, basic tracking, following prints in the woods and trying to build a pattern of life for the individual you’re trying to track or find.” 

Chism’s schedule as a trooper allows him to train for search and rescue on his days off. So whether he is patrolling South Carolina’s roadways or searching its wooded areas, service is at his core. 

“I have a lot of built in time off with the Highway Patrol,” he said. “As long as it doesn’t interfere with my work on the patrol, I’ll do my best to try and make it.” 

Despite the sometimes difficult days and stressful situations, for Chism, search and rescue helps him relax from the stresses of law enforcement. 

“It gives me the outlet to breathe,” he said. “It gets me out in the woods, and I feel like I’m giving back to others in a different way.” 

Whether cutting off a customer’s power temporarily, or explaining a motorist’s traffic violation to them on the roadside, Chism believes it’s all about how you talk to people, especially when they’re upset. 

“I try to get on their level and exercise a little bit of empathy and compassion to see where they're coming from. And I try to explain the ‘why’ behind what I’m doing.”y

As winter’s cold sting whipped parts of South Carolina in recent weeks, Chism was patrolling the roadways of the Upstate. And as he worked to keep the roadways moving, he still took a moment to look up at the line workers and offered a smile, and a proud “Thank you.”