Scot Phelps, New Jersey’s director of the Office of Emergency Medical Services, says he was unexpectedly fired this afternoon without reason.

“Dear Colleagues,” Phelps wrote in a New Jersey EMT Facebook group, “today just after lunch, I was fired as Director of the Office of Emergency Medical Services.”

“I have to say that it was a surprise and I’m still in shock, not that I didn’t expect it to happen at some point,” he continued. “But I wanted to take the opportunity to thank each and every one of you for helping with the progress we attained over the past three years. I truly believe in New Jersey’s EMS system, its clinicians, and most importantly, its leaders.”

Phelps had been the state’s EMS director since May 2017, according to his LinkedIn profile.

A New Jersey Department of Health spokesperson confirmed to nj.com Phelps was no longer a state employee but declined to elaborate.

A change.org petition called Phelps a “trusted advocate and face of progress for EMS.”

“Scot was a true leader and inspiration that interacted with and engaged those that he oversaw at the street level and would speak to them not as a superior, but as an equal,” the petition reads.