For Karina Galvez-Martinez’s North Las Vegas supervisors, she truly embodies the EMS mission of providing care to the world at a moment’s notice. Karina, who began her career as an EMT, is now a Paramedic. Her ever-increasing skills have prepared her to intervene in medical situations even while off duty.

Such was the case earlier this year when Karina was at home at about 4:30 a.m. That is when her neighbor’s husband knocked on her door for medical assistance. Karina rushed over to the house and found the neighbor’s wife not breathing and incapacitated. Finding the patient pulseless, Karina immediately started manual chest compressions, taking critical actions as the first link in the chain of patient survival.

She continued her vigorous efforts while 911 was called. Responding AMR teams were able to take over and the patient’s pulse was restored before arrival at the local hospital. There is no doubt that Karina’s actions saved her neighbor’s life.

Clifford Fontaine began his career in EMS at MedicWest (formerly Southwest) Ambulance in 2002 as an EMT-Intermediate (now AEMT). He has been described as “one of the most genuine and caring individuals around,” and was well known for his smile, bear hugs, and commanding saunter. He immediately drew everyone into his presence.

Cliff is being honored and remembered for providing life-saving aid to victims of a multi-vehicle crash that happened while he was on his way home from vacation in Utah. After securing their children in their vehicle, Cliff and his wife began aiding the victims. Cliff relayed the seriousness of the incident to Utah Highway Patrol, giving fellow first responders vital information that helped them to prepare for their response. Cliff even performed CPR on a four-year-old girl while waiting for the arrival of the responders. The girl ultimately survived the accident. All this was done on Cliff’s personal time; he didn’t have to intervene, but he did. He will always be a hero and his compassion and intervention earned him a commendation from the Utah Highway Patrol.

Stacy Dockery was attending the Route 91 festival in Las Vegas when gunfire began to rain down upon her. Her instincts kicked in immediately: she shielded her best friend, then went to work assisting victims on the ground.

Stacy assisted other off-duty medical personnel with bleeding control, triage, and loading patients into whatever vehicles they could find. As the incident continued to unfold, she knew that this was an extreme situation, and that she would be needed throughout the night. Stacy placed her friend in safety, then sped towards the station. She donned her uniform, complete with cowboy boots, jumped on a unit, and went to work running 911 calls. She responded to calls into the night until the situation had calmed some.

She was later featured in a New York Times video when a reporter captured her caring for a patient in the concert venue.

In Stacy’s nearly ten years with MedicWest, she has proven herself to be a dedicated CCT medic who can be relied upon to answer the call of duty.

See Stacy from behind at the 0:36–0:38 mark of this New York Times video.

Callen Daquiaog is a hero and teacher among heroes. However, being the humble man that he is, he would never admit it.

On October 1, 2017, he was one of the many that responded to the Route 91 shooting. He made life-saving decisions in the face of danger. At the time, no one knew when the shooting would stop, where the shooters were, or the reason they were targeting the music festival. Conflicting reports about the origin of the shots meant no scene was safe. When Callen responded to the East side of the venue, he came to Duke Ellington Way and faced the carnage head-on. He assisted two off duty EMTs, themselves shot, to load victims into his unit. He made the decision, with a full ambulance, to head to the trauma center. His military upbringing told him this was an extremely dangerous situation, but he stayed calm and treated the critical patients in his ambulance. He dropped them off quickly, hoping he would see the two EMTs again.

Callen returned to his ambulance, and once again headed toward the concert venue. He was sent to the command post where they staged for some time before reporting to a nearby smaller hospital where busloads of patients were being taken. He helped the ER triage and re-prioritize transfers out, taking six victims to an outlying hospital. 

Callen’s judgement was credited by physicians and nurses, who confirmed that his decisions saved many lives. In his almost four years at MedicWest, he is known as “the calm” amidst the chaos. He can always be counted on to help, whether by responding to an event like Route 91 or teaching a new EMT. Callen was honored for valor by the agency that employs the two wounded EMTs. He designed a patch for the event, and donated the proceeds to the victims fund.

Callen Daquiaog is a true hero.

Charismatic, energizing, and inspiring are words that Christopher Dobson’s colleagues have used to describe him. During Chris’ two years at MedicWest, he has become a paramedic preceptor and an ACLS/PALS instructor. Chris hopes to obtain his critical care certification later this year.

Chris and his partner recently responded to a serious, high-speed crash in rural Clark County, far outside of Las Vegas. With only his partner, volunteer firefighters, and bystanders as support, Chris assessed the two patients and began care of a critically injured woman. Chris intubated the woman while she was still trapped in her vehicle and handed her off to a helicopter crew when they arrived. Chris then turned his full attention to the other patient and transported him more than 50 miles to the nearest trauma center. The man made a full recovery.