When two devastating events shook her community, Nicole Gonzales responded for responders. As the Ventura County Critical Incident Stress Management Coordinator and a member of the county’s Behavioral Health Task Force, Nicole is charged with ensuring first responders receive the mental health support they need after traumatic events. 

Nicole provided support and comfort to her fellow AMR employees, first responders, and hospital personnel in the immediate aftermath of the November 2018 shooting at a country music bar in Thousand Oaks, California. Wildfires ignited just days later, impacting the same personnel who had responded to the deadly shooting. Nicole worked with members of the Critical Incident Stress Management coalition to create plans to satisfy the mental health needs of the community, in addition to those serving the public interest.

Day in and day out, Nicole demonstrates compassion and professionalism in helping her teammates cope with large-scale public incidents and their own private tragedies. She also continues to work as a full-time EMT and is a Field Training Officer and Lead Emergency Vehicle Operations Instructor for AMR Ventura and Gold Coast Ambulance.