CALSTAR celebrates 20 years in the South Lake Tahoe community with an open house

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — CALSTAR Air Medical Services is celebrating 20 years of service to the South Lake Tahoe community and the surrounding area. They will be having an Open House to mark the occasion on Saturday, October 23, 2021. CALSTAR 6 is hosting the community celebration from 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. at 1901 Airport Blvd. Attendees will be able to meet members of the flight crew, see a medically configured Airbus H-135 helicopter up close, and enjoy complimentary refreshments.

“In 2001, the City of South Lake Tahoe and the Lake Valley Fire Protection District approached CALSTAR with a request to partner together to develop what would become a comprehensive EMS system for the Lake Tahoe Region,” said Mike Kaslin, program director for CALSTAR. “From those discussions, CALSTAR 6 was formed, and they completed their first flight from the South Lake Tahoe Airport in September of 2001.”

Operations at CALSTAR 6 have evolved significantly since its infancy thanks to a continuous focus on improvement and service enhancement from the CALSTAR organization. Over the years, the base has developed partnerships with local hospitals, public safety agencies, volunteer search and rescue groups, and regional ski patrols to help increase safety and access to ER and ICU-level care for critically injured or sick residents and visitors.

In 2016 CALSTAR merged with REACH Air Medical Services to form a comprehensive air medical transportation company in California. Today CALSTAR 6 employs 16 pilots, flight nurses, flight paramedics, and aviation maintenance technicians.