Mission Ready

For the first time, we hear directly from Draidyn his recounting of the rescue response that ultimately saved his life. Remarkably, he remembers a lot of what happened as community members, firefighters, police, first responders, and STARS crew members worked together to save his life. He even remembers parts of his arrival at the city hospital. Watch Draidyn and his mom walk around the incident scene in a bonus video at https://stars.ca/missionready.

STARS founder Dr. Greg Powell passed away very recently, leaving behind an incredible legacy of improving pre-hospital trauma care throughout Western Canada. He was instrumental in STARS launching in 1985, and now, more than 60,000 missions later, we're reflecting on that remarkable accomplishment. We're releasing a bonus episode we originally published in Season 1 of Mission Ready, focusing on how STARS began and how it grew.

The industrial riding lawnmower that had been sitting on top of Draidyn Wollmann is finally removed and he's whisked off to the STARS helicopter running nearby. His mom, who is also a first responder, has shown poise and strength and is allowed to join the flight to the city trauma centre. While en route, the STARS air medical crew continues to perform critical care on Draidyn, and hospital staff stands ready to take over. Watch the STARS flight paramedic talk about his glimmer of hope in a bonus video at https://stars.ca/missionready.

A STARS helicopter lands near the bustling scene where Draidyn Wollmann's life is ebbing away from beneath the cutting deck of an industrial lawnmower. Skilled air medical crew members are stunned by what they see but lean on their robust training to quickly begin transfusing blood into Draidyn's only intact arm and taking over his breathing. Both STARS pilots help in whatever way they can. Watch all four STARS crew members talk about their initial reactions in a bonus video at https://stars.ca/missionready.

As young Draidyn Wollmann fights for life beneath the cutting deck of a stalled industrial mower, emergency responders rush to his aid and STARS is dispatched from more than 60 km away. A ground paramedic soon discovers that a blade from the mower is embedded in the boy's chest and an arm is mostly severed. Responders wonder how they're going to remove the mower without causing further damage. Watch the ground paramedic and STARS transport physician discuss the challenge in a bonus video at https://stars.ca/missionready.

Teenager Draidyn Wollmann was supposed to be enjoying his first summer job, mowing public lawns for his local municipality, but one terrifying day his industrial mower falls quiet in the sleepy village and Draidyn can't be found. When his boss finally spots the stalled machine behind the community arena, he can't believe where he finds the boy. Watch a bonus video from the community at https://stars.ca/missionready.

A teenage boy becomes trapped under an industrial riding lawnmower. With a cutting blade embedded in his chest and a severely injured arm, he fights for life alone until he's eventually discovered, setting off a multi-agency emergency response. STARS is dispatched, and the skilled crew that responds works shoulder-to-shoulder with allies to give the boy a chance at life. Season 2 of the STARS podcast Mission Ready, presented by ARC Resources, starts April 16. Find bonus material at https://stars.ca/missionready.

If you loved the dramatic music in our Mission Ready podcast you will love the story behind the music. Meet 15-year-old Kaiya Gamble who drew on her talents and deep connection to STARS to create the perfect theme music for Season 1: Mauling on a Mountaintop. “STARS gave so much to my family I want to give something back,” says Kaiya. Watch the video version of this episode at https://youtu.be/9bcZklqw3NA.

When our first helicopter and medical crew took flight in 1985, we didn't just offer hope to the hopeless. We radically changed the way critical care was delivered. Join us as we chat with Dr. Greg Powell, one of STARS' founders, as he takes us through the birth and growth of Western Canada's leading prehospital care service. Find out where our very first patient is now and how STARS made all the difference.

Marcia's recovery was a journey of ups, downs, and seemingly never-ending run-ins with cougars. It was as though she was living in a nightmare long after the attack. Listen as she shares the unconventional ways she chose to cope, including what happened when she returned to the scene of the attack and the special name she gave to her first child.  

Who provides support to the frontline staff and to the people who witnessed this attack and other horrific tragedies? With PTSD top of mind for front-line workers and mental health and wellness such an important factor in our industry and beyond, how do we make sure our crews stay healthy physically and mentally? We talk to the helpers and find out how they cope.

Forty inches of stitches to Marcia's head. Another 140 staples. Six hours and 30 minutes to sew up the wounds. A jar of cougar fur. An off-duty STARS nurse was at the landing pad with Marcia's boyfriend when the helicopter landed and Marcia was rushed inside. Marla Tabler was there for it all and walks us through the care she received in hospital.  

Inside the STARS helicopter enroute to the mountain top, the air medical crew prepares for what they are about to experience on this complex mission: treating a coworker's loved one who has been mauled by a cougar and sustained a massive head wound. At the chaotic scene, Marcia's coworkers apply first aid and scramble to prepare a landing zone for the helicopter which is about 20 minutes out. 

Marcia is in urgent need of frontline health-care workers with advanced knowledge, expertise, and skills, but the only way to get them there on this day is by helicopter. We chat with one of the STARS pilots on this mission and find out what the pilots and emergency communications specialists discussed as they considered accepting the mission. 

Marcia Birkigt is a government biologist who has been mauled by a massive cougar while she and her colleagues work in the remote wilderness. Electrical storms in the area are hampering calls to 911 and the roads to rescue her on a mountain top are deemed impassible. How will Marcia get the urgent care she needs to survive?

When a large cougar left a woman fighting for her life in the remote wilderness, many people jumped into action to make sure she reached the care she needed