News & Updates

  • 1 Apr 2019 8:06 AM | Amanda Riordan (Administrator)

    Ty Robert LaRiviere
    Flight Nurse
    REACH Air
    2019 Nevada Star of Life

    Ty LaRiviere is a Flight Nurse for REACH based in in Ely, Nevada, who has served at REACH for two years.

    Ty is deeply dedicated to providing the best mobile healthcare possible. His enthusiasm for EMS comes from his personal belief in providing each of his patients with the same care he would want given to his own beloved wife and nine children. This brings him satisfaction in the quality of work and continually inspires him to help others.

    An experience recently shared with his flight partner, Dillon Decker, truly showcases their dedication to EMS. The patient was a three-year-old girl who arrived at the Emergency Department in arrest for unknown reasons. Upon further examination, it was determined that she had endured extreme abuse.

    The team showed an overwhelming amount of compassion, empathy, and professionalism when caring for this little girl. They assisted the ED team with resuscitation, they prepared her for flight, then whisked her to Primary Children's Hospital. Because of the injuries she had sustained, her oxygen saturation repeated plummeted during flight. The pair leveraged their skills and experience to troubleshoot the ventilator and delivered her to Children Hospital alive and in better condition than when they picked her up.

    Ty and Dillon did everything humanly possible to help her fight for life. Tragically, as sometimes happens in mobile healthcare, the tiny patient eventually succumbed to her injuries. However, she will not be forgotten by the heroes who never gave up trying.



  • 27 Mar 2019 7:32 AM | Amanda Riordan (Administrator)

    Rachelle Angel
    Community Ambulance
    2019 NV Star of Life

    Rachelle Angel is an Advanced EMT who has served Community Ambulance since 2016. Before she began her career in mobile healthcare, she worked in a hospital for three years as a pharmacy technician. She was inspired to change careers when she watched a nurse she admired handle a code; she knew in that moment that she, too, wanted to care for patients.

    Rachelle was interested in working in a fast-paced environment, so she chose to become a first responder. Following the nurse’s lead, she endeavors to care for each patient she encounters with skill, compassion, and empathy.

    Rachelle is also community-minded. She volunteered with the Trauma Intervention Program from March to November 2018.

    Outside of work, Rachelle enjoys spending time with her fiancée, Alexis, and her family. She adores her Australian Shepherd, Brooks. Rachelle also loves discovering new coffee houses, boxing, getting lost in a good mystery book, and traveling. 


  • 26 Mar 2019 7:52 AM | Amanda Riordan (Administrator)

    Matthew McClean
    Community Ambulance
    2019 Nevada Star of Life

    Matthew McClean joined the mobile healthcare profession in 2014. He earned his EMT credentials in Los Angeles, where he served for 2-1/2 years before moving to the Las Vegas area. He worked as an EMT at AMR while attending Paramedic school. He finished his paramedic internship last October and started practicing as a Paramedic at the end of October 2018. Matthew now lends his talents to Community Ambulance in Clark County. Matthew is excited to further his career in mobile healthcare, and to continue to help his community for many years to come.

    Just two weeks after finishing his Paramedic internship, Matthew responded to a call that would forever impact his approach to patient care. Matthew’s coworker had been shot in the head due to an accidental firearm discharge. Matthew and his partner, Rachelle Angel, transported this colleague and friend to UMC hospital where he received further care for his injury. The experience of providing mobile healthcare to someone personally knew inspired in Matthew an even deeper commitment to compassionate, skilled paramedicine.

    Matthew likes to spend his days off with his girlfriend, Autumn, traveling to new places and visiting his family back in California. He loves the outdoors and staying active. 

    Community Ambulance is proud to recognize Matthew McClean as a 2019 Nevada Star of Life.


  • 25 Mar 2019 6:52 AM | Amanda Riordan (Administrator)

    Markus Dorsey-Hirt
    Chief Flight Nurse
    Care Flight / REMSA
    2019 Nevada Star of Life

    Markus was born in Augsburg, Germany. He simultaneously attended German medical school and nursing school.

    He moves to the United States in 1998 and worked in the San Diego area hospital in a cardiac ICU. Markus and his family moved to the Reno area in 2001 where he worked in the Trauma ICU at Washoe Medical Center and worked part-time as a flight nurse for a private fixed wing air ambulance.

    Markus joined Care Flight in 2004 as a Flight Nurse.  Since, he has held both clinical and leadership positions within the organization. Currently Markus is the Chief Flight Nurse for Care Flight and the Chief Nursing Officer for the REMSA / Care Flight organization.

    Even in his current administrative capacity, you will often find Markus responding to 911 calls in the Reno area or even covering a shift on our CCT Unit or helicopter bases. The flight and ground crews rely on Markus for his medical expertise and advice, often running patient care situations by him for counsel. Markus is a key member of our organization and contributes tremendously to the successful operations of the Care Flight program.



  • 25 Mar 2019 6:42 AM | Amanda Riordan (Administrator)

    Vanessa Coyle
    Care Flight / REMSA
    2019 Star of Life

    Vanessa Coyle has served REMSA / Care Flight for 16 years. She joined REMSA in 2003 as an EMT Intermediate, then attained her Paramedic certification in 2004. In 2009, Vanessa transferred from REMSA ground operations to Care Flight to practice her skills as a Flight Paramedic.

    Vanessa is passionate in her service to mobile healthcare. As a Base Supervisor for the Gardnerville base, she is dedicated to ensure that the community receives nothing but the best in patient care from the flight crews. Vanessa is an excellent mentor to our new staff members, and always acts as a strong patient advocate.

    Vanessa also spends many hours representing Care Flight within the community interacting with police, fire, and EMS agencies throughout the region. Each year at Christmas Vanessa heads up the Care Flight's food donation to the Share Your Christmas Food Drive. Care Flight is proud having Vanessa in our organization and the countless talents she brings with her.


  • 25 Mar 2019 5:30 AM | Amanda Riordan (Administrator)

    Kyle Duthie
    EMT
    Community Ambulance
    2019 Nevada Star of Life

    Kyle Duthie has always had a passion for helping others as well as an interest in EMS. When he joined Community Ambulance as an EMT two years ago, it was the perfect opportunity to put his skills and passion to work. Kyle has been a part of the EMS system since moving from Arizona three years ago and has a strong desire to advance in the profession to the Paramedic level.

    Kyle is well known for being a reliable partner and for remaining calm under pressure. He has a very genuine and caring attitude towards his team and his patients. Kyle enjoys the challenges and problem-solving that each call requires.

    Kyle loves the fact that he is able to provide help and serve the community he lives in, and strives to make a difference in the lives of others. As a mobile healthcare provider, he has served both strangers as well as friends and always makes it a point to be there for both.  He has such a huge respect and appreciation for all those in the EMS community and especially grateful to learn by experience from his Paramedic partners.

    Kyle is proud to be a part of the EMS family and thankful to be in a position to constantly learn and progress in the EMS field. Kyle is deeply motivated to serve as a positive example to help those in need.

    Kyle is especially proud to set a sterling example for his beloved son, Ryatt.


  • 18 Mar 2019 3:30 PM | Amanda Riordan (Administrator)

    Sarah Allen
    AirMed
    2019 Nevada Star of Life

    Sarah Allen was born and raised in Tonopah, Nevada, where she still lives with her family.  Tonopah is a remote wide spot in the road, two hundred miles from the closest major hospital.  Access to healthcare in the town of seven thousand has been in decline, and most notably absent are essential services like EMS or doctors.  Sarah, mother of three girls, left behind working as an ICU nurse in the big city to take on the challenge of serving as a first responder in her community.  As a Flight Nurse, it wasn’t uncommon for her to respond 24/7 from her home, traveling as far as sixty miles to reach accidents and medical emergencies.  There, she stabilized, ground transported to awaiting medevac airplanes, and then accompanied the patients to the hospital.  Typically, there was no back-up. Conditions are remote. Cell phones don’t work and the weather at 6,000 feet of elevation can change rapidly.  While every response is voluntary, she tirelessly cared for people in need, even under adverse conditions. Her presence made differences in each and every response.  

    Sarah’s approach is to treat her patients like members of her own family. In fact, Sarah is often quietly referred to as “Mother Sarah” in her community and by her co-workers.  She knows her previous patients, and future ones too! She hugs when a hug is needed, cries when tears need to be shed, and holds a firm line when it need holding.  When tragedy strikes despite the very best medical efforts, Sarah even attends patient funerals. She taught herself how to leave her life as a mother, travel to an emergency, render care, and then to get the patient to the airplane and onto a hospital… innovation and sacrifice, on the personal level, at its best!

    When there was a terrible head-on crash in a remote desert location,  Sarah’s phone rang asking for her assistance.  Fifteen minutes later, she arrived in her personal car, where she encountered a horrible sight:  There were fatalities, and the living were either strewn about in the snow or helplessly entrapped in the wreckage.  Everyone involved at the scene was either a neighbor or a friend.  Until others arrived to help, Sarah tended to her best friend who had sustained a head injury, her friend’s child who was severely injured and in shock, and her friend’s husband, who was her own husband’s best friend.  She organized numerous medevacs to distant trauma centers. She then climbed into the wreckage of an overturned truck and held the hand of the entrapped man, a friend, as consciousness waned life and left his body.  Holding the hand of your friend as he leaves this world cannot is not an easy thing and most definitely leaves its scars behind. It did for Sarah. Thankfully, with the passage of time, she is healed and once again an amazing EMS provider and proud member of the AirMed family.

    More recently, Sarah and her Paramedic partner performed a medevac mission. Her team arrived at a remote airfield to find a volunteer ambulance crew desperately trying to resuscitate a 10-year-old asthmatic in arrest.  Again, in a place with no consult or helpful resources, Flight Nurse Sarah was instrumental turning a tragedy into a saved life, delivering that boy to the Children’s Hospital 220 miles away. The child gave a thumbs up on arrival.  Sarah’s resilience and caring are a constant inspiration.

    As rural hospitals continue to close and traditional healthcare services shrink, mobile healthcare services become more important.  They are sometimes all that can stand in the gap between life and death.  It’s the “Stars of Life” like Sarah Allen, who continue to work tirelessly with little recognition.  Today, let’s recognize and celebrate Nevada’s band of heroes!


  • 18 Mar 2019 3:25 PM | Amanda Riordan (Administrator)

    Chris Clark
    AirMed
    2019 Star of Life

    Christopher Clark was born and raised in Pennsylvania. At an early age, he joined the United States Air Force. During his enlistment, he became a certified Paramedic, serving as an Independent Duty Medic for the Red Horse Squadron at both home station and during deployments.  In 2015, after twenty years of service, Chris retired from active duty and promptly enrolled in the UNLV School of Nursing.  Taking advantage of former Governor Sandoval’s initiatives to encourage small businesses to employ skilled veterans, Clark was hired by Life Guard International, now AirMed Response, as a flight paramedic.  Despite frequently working long hours, he attended nursing school full-time, graduating with honors and attaining his license as a registered nurse in late 2018.

    Chris is not one to shy away from assignments, even when they are most challenging.  Often, on a moment’s notice, he would drop his personal agenda, don his flight suit, and fly desperately ill patients away to receive life-saving care.  When the only hospital between Reno and Las Vegas closed its doors several years ago, Life Guard provided a medevac aircraft to support the meager EMS resources in the remote regions.  Chris volunteered for assignment to that base in Tonopah between 2015 and 2018, often for as long as 10 days at a stretch.  There, he mentored and encouraged volunteers, rendered care, saved lives, and organized medevac flights for those in dire need. Back-up was usually only available from other medevac airplanes and helicopters more than a hundred miles away. 

    Stories of Clark’s conduct are still fresh in the minds of the residents of Nye and Esmeralda County.  In the middle of the night, as the lone provider along with a Deputy Sheriff, Chris Clark resuscitated a victim of cardiac arrest found on a lone stretch of U.S. Highway 95, called a helicopter from another agency, and sending her to a distant medical center, alive!  Another time, he was summoned deep into the desert, where he located, treated, and transported to the airport where he climbed into a medevac airplane, personally delivering accident victim to a trauma center in Las Vegas.  In 2017, following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, Clark was first to volunteer and to be sent as the largest peacetime FEMA medevac deployment in history.  His military deployment experiences were translated into key strategies that supported the logistics of over 350 other deployed paramedic’s, nurses, and pilots staffing sixty medevac aircraft operating in Texas.

    Mobile healthcare is a reality that will continue to evolve and grow as the existing resources in rural Nevada continue to dwindle.  Saving lives can be stressful, frustrating, exhausting, and even unpleasant.  Chris once noted that the challenges of saving lives in rural Nevada could be far more difficult than doing the same in Afghanistan!  Emergency responders like Flight Paramedic Christopher Clark are our “Stars of Life” and deserve to be celebrated.  If you were to ask Chris why he tirelessly sacrifices of himself, he’d tell you that it is simply the right thing to do; an innate value difficult to describe precisely.  He knows and feels it: and AirMed thanks God that he does!


  • 18 Mar 2019 2:59 PM | Amanda Riordan (Administrator)

    Jennifer Walters
    REMSA
    2019 Nevada Star of Life

    Paramedic Jennifer Walters was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. She started her career in EMS in 2012 as an EMT. She graduated as valedictorian of her Paramedic class in 2017. She is also a newly certified EMS Instructor. She married her husband in 2014 and is expecting her first child in July. She has two dogs, Prim and Ru. In her free time, she enjoys remodeling her house, camping, and hunting.

    Jennifer is being honored as a Nevada Star of life because she is an excellent Paramedic, teacher, and mentor. She provides outstanding service to our community and is a very involved member of our organization.


  • 18 Mar 2019 2:38 PM | Amanda Riordan (Administrator)

    Daniel Moriarty
    REMSA
    2019 Star of Life

    Paramedic Daniel Moriarty is originally from Roseburg, Oregon. He and his parents moved to Reno in 2010. Soon after, he began to take an EMT class. He married his wife, Marian, in 2017 and has an 8 month old daughter, Madelynn. Daniel enjoys fly fishing in the Reno-Tahoe area, hiking, playing drums and hanging out with family and friends.

    Recently, Daniel was dispatched to care for a Priority 1 unconscious patient. Upon the crew’s arrived, the gentleman was laying in his bed, lethargic, pale, and diaphoretic. He soon began to suffer multiple syncopal episodes. The team was aware of the patient’s history of congestive heart failure, and quickly took his vitals and put him on the cardiac monitor. Daniel and his partner immediately applied the pads and paced his heart successfully throughout transport. When the patient arrived at the hospital, he received a pacemaker, and was eventually discharged with a positive overall outcome. Daniel recalls that, “This was one call where I believe seconds mattered, and we were within seconds of saving this patient’s life.”  

    Daniel is being recognized as a Nevada Star of Life due to his excellent patient care, outstanding teaching skills, and the positive attitude that he brings to this profession.

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Nevada Ambulance Association
PO Box 96503 #72319 | Washington, DC 20090-6503
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