Nolan Howell
Founder, West Coast Rescue
Nolan Howell
Founder of West Coast Rescue
OUR FOUNDER
THE MAN BEHIND THE VISION
As the founder of West Coast Rescue, Nolan Howell has one goal: build something sustainable that allows him and others to passionately serve the global community. Since joining the local volunteer fire and EMS department at the age of 15, Nolan has been committed to providing a high standard of patient care even in the most difficult of circumstances.
Much of his early training took place in the scenic Columbia River Gorge, accessing and treating patients in the torrential rain and muddy conditions common to the area. He continued his training in a much different environment, however: the desert landscape of Iraq, as a medic in the US Army. After suffering injuries from an IED blast in 2006, he stepped away from emergency medicine. But, after going back to school and spending some time serving as a pastor, he returned to the medical field. He had always had a vision of practically applying what no one else had - tactical skills and backcountry medicine to provide emergency medical services in situations most people were either forced to run from, or wait out.
He began working in a clinical environment and doing contract medical work on the weekends, but it wasn’t long before he had found like-minded individuals, with the unique skills necessary to move forward with what is now West Coast Rescue. Nolan’s passion evolved into an organization dedicated to finding innovative ways to access the injured and vulnerable, providing emergency medical services during the early stages of a disaster and training members of local communities to respond in emergency situations, when other help might not be readily available. WCR aims to offer all of this while also being proficient in combat casualty care for the purpose of serving in high-stress environments, when necessary.
In communities impacted by a natural disaster, local EMS providers are often victims themselves, and their systems, if any are in place, can be compromised. For Nolan, West Coast Rescue’s mission is to be the immediate response force that removes some of the pressure off of local resources, allowing them to focus on caring for themselves and their families. Nolan, his wife, Kat, are currently raising their own family, in beautiful Bend, Oregon.
As the founder of West Coast Rescue, Nolan Howell has one goal: build something sustainable that allows him and others to passionately serve the global community. Since joining the local volunteer fire and EMS department at the age of 15, Nolan has been committed to providing a high standard of patient care even in the most difficult of circumstances.
Much of his early training took place in the scenic Columbia River Gorge, accessing and treating patients in the torrential rain and muddy conditions common to the area. He continued his training in a much different environment, however: the desert landscape of Iraq, as a medic in the US Army. After suffering injuries from an IED blast in 2006, he stepped away from emergency medicine. But, after going back to school and spending some time serving as a pastor, he returned to the medical field. He had always had a vision of practically applying what no one else had - tactical skills and backcountry medicine to provide emergency medical services in situations most people were either forced to run from, or wait out.
He began working in a clinical environment and doing contract medical work on the weekends, but it wasn’t long before he had found like-minded individuals, with the unique skills necessary to move forward with what is now West Coast Rescue. Nolan’s passion evolved into an organization dedicated to finding innovative ways to access the injured and vulnerable, providing emergency medical services during the early stages of a disaster and training members of local communities to respond in emergency situations, when other help might not be readily available. WCR aims to offer all of this while also being proficient in combat casualty care for the purpose of serving in high-stress environments, when necessary.
In communities impacted by a natural disaster, local EMS providers are often victims themselves, and their systems, if any are in place, can be compromised. For Nolan, West Coast Rescue’s mission is to be the immediate response force that removes some of the pressure off of local resources, allowing them to focus on caring for themselves and their families. Nolan, his wife, Kat, are currently raising their own family, in beautiful Bend, Oregon.