Dana Russell is a Lieutenant and Mobile Critical Care Paramedic with Jan-Care Ambulance of Raleigh County, Inc., whose career in emergency services spans nearly five decades of clinical care, leadership, education, special operations, and public service.

Dana’s interest in EMS began after watching the television series Emergency! As a teenager in 1976, he was so determined to enter the profession that, at age 14, he misrepresented his age to enroll in EMT classes. Although the state later rescinded his early certification, Dana continued pursuing his calling. At 18, he began volunteering with Valley EMS, serving as a dispatcher, driver, EMT, and eventually a Paramedic under Dr. Bill Rose.

His career soon expanded into leadership and critical care. Dana became one of the first three Paramedics with the newly formed Boone County Ambulance Authority and later served with the Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority as a Critical Care Transport Paramedic, supervisor, and manager. At Charleston Area Medical Center, he worked across three emergency departments, the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, critical care transport, and Charleston Med Base.

Dana went on to spend 17 years as a Flight Paramedic with HealthNet Aeromedical Services. His extensive special-operations experience also included serving as Captain of the KCEAA Dive Team, membership on its Special Operations Response Team, industrial medicine at the Rhone-Poulenc Chemical Plant, and service as Chief SWAT Medic for the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office. Throughout his career, Dana has shared his experience with future providers by teaching EMT courses and Paramedic coursework for Marshall University. In parallel, he has devoted decades to the volunteer fire service in roles including Chief Medical Officer, engineer, rescue technician, and HAZMAT specialist.

In 2017, Dana joined Jan-Care as a Critical Care Transport Paramedic. The following year, a catastrophic illness left him dependent on ventilator support and paralyzed for more than a year. He was placed on total disability and told he would never walk again. Determined to return to the profession that had defined much of his life, Dana undertook an intensive rehabilitation effort and returned to Jan-Care in 2019.

Dana’s return to active service embodies the same perseverance and commitment that have characterized his entire career. From ground and flight medicine to special operations, education, fire service, and critical care transport, he has dedicated his life to caring for others and strengthening emergency services throughout West Virginia.

Jan-Care Ambulance of Raleigh County, Inc. is proud to recognize Lieutenant and Mobile Critical Care Paramedic Dana Russell as a Star of Life.