Be the Change: Chad McCall

As a disaster relief volunteer, Chad McCall stood amid devastation and rubble in the wake of the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. Just months before, he had been slogging through the debris of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana. As he poured himself into helping people affected by these events, Chad discovered a lifechanging sense of purpose and fulfillment.

Upon returning to the States, Chad became a licensed paramedic and registered nurse (RN). As he put these skills to work in various ways, he strategized about how to meet niche needs he observed in the field of disaster response. In 2014, Chad founded Mountain Medics, a specialized ambulance company in Mount Shasta, California. His idea was to provide medical support for firefighters battling wildfires in the North State. Today, just 10 years after it began, Mountain Medics supports not only firefighters, but a variety of rescue workers throughout the North State and across the country. In 2023, for example Mountain Medics provided on-site medical support for workers repairing the power and gas utilities in Santa Cruz after a storm caused severe damage.

Mountain Medics brings medical aid to disaster zones

Mountain Medics started with just a handful of employees and services. Now, in addition to ambulances, the organization’s equipment includes tracked snow vehicles and mobile urgent care clinics (called med units). Over 60 employees, including emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics and nurses, work for Mountain Medics seasonally. By bringing their medical expertise to disaster zones, Mountain Medics allows local first-responders to remain more available for their usual emergency services.

The McCall family teams up to support Mountain Medic. Photos by Joan Goble.

Chad McCall works to make a positive impact

Patrick Titus was a unit chief for the forest service in Mount Shasta when Chad first began Mountain Medics. Patrick helped promote the unique service from the start and has participated in its growth by helping train new employees. Over the years, Patrick has observed Chad’s entrepreneurial spirit and business savvy, but also his care for the community.

“Chad and I are both grateful people,” Patrick says, “and we believe in kindness. We’ve had this discussion that kindness goes a long way and I think his kindness is why Chad’s business is successful.” Patrick shares, for example, that Chad donates a washing station for the annual Mount Shasta Blackberry Music Festival. “That is Rotary Club of Mount Shasta’s single fundraiser, and it raises a lot of money for programs like Meals on Wheels, used books, and our bicycle program,” Patrick says. “So it sounds funny, but the tentacles go far.” In other words, Chad’s participation helps set off a domino effect of positive impact throughout the community.

Chad also invests in preventing disasters for kids in Mount Shasta. When he learned that some schools did not have adequate access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs), for example, he donated AEDs to the schools and to the Mount Shasta Boys and Girls Club. These portable devices can deliver life-saving electrical shocks when people experience cardiac arrest.

Nancy Swift, the executive director of JEDI in Mount Shasta, says Chad often notices needs like this and “is always filling in those gaps” by offering practical, tangible solutions. For example, Chad used Mountain Medics to provide COVID testing for schools and other organizations in Siskiyou County during the height of the pandemic. He also helps coach and organize hockey and has invested in erecting a roof for the Mount Shasta Ice Rink so the business can one day operate and support the community even during inclement weather. Nancy notes that rural communities like Mount Shasta depend on people like Chad to rally interest. “He’s one of those people that makes things happen,” Nancy says.

Chad and Tasha and their sons, Silas and Rowan, work together to make a profound difference in the North State community. Photo by Joann Goble.

McCall family works together to build community

“I think being involved within your community creates a sense of being part of it and you have some ownership,” Chad says. “You make your community how you want it to be.” Nancy describes Chad, his wife Tasha and their sons Silas,10; and Rowan, 7, as people who do just that. “The McCalls build community wherever they are,” Nancy says. “In fact, community is built because of them; they’re just that kind of people. They connect thoughts, they solve problems, and they care about their friends and community.”

In his rare moments of down time, Chad enjoys playing board games with his family and coaching his sons’ hockey team. He also loves spending time in the great outdoors. Chad grew up in Alaska and moved to Mount Shasta to teach with AmeriCorps. As he spent the year taking students on field trips, Chad fell in love with the North State. Reflecting on that year, Chad says, “I moved here when I was 18, so this community has helped raise me to who I am today. We have skiing, lakes, rivers, rock climbing – it’s all right here! I’m fortunate enough to be able to give back to my community and the Mount Shasta family as a way to say, ‘thank you.’”