STARS air ambulance founder Greg Powell dies at 77

STARS air ambulance announced on Thursday night that its founder and former CEO, Greg Powell, died earlier this week.

Powell, 77, died on Wednesday at Foothills Hospice in Okotoks, with his family by his side. 

Current Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS) president and CEO John Froh said in a release that Powell recognized too many patients were dying because they couldn't receive the care they needed quickly enough, and was motivated to improve the delivery model.

"Countless people are alive today because of his ground-breaking vision and enduring tenacity and for that we are honoured to carry on his mission," Froh said.

In a statement, Powell's wife Linda said STARS was his life's work and passion.

"From the moment I understood his vision of providing advanced medical care and rapid response by helicopter, regardless of where they lived, I knew it would be a remarkable journey," she said.

"His legacy today means countless people are given a chance they wouldn't have had otherwise, and it's comforting to know his impact will endure."

Powell grew up in Edmonton and studied medicine at the University of British Columbia, according to a profile of his career published for his induction into the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2021. 

During his second year of studies, he used a medical elective to join the Flying Doctor Service in Darwin, Australia. 

While on the way to Australia, he visited a mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) unit in Saigon during the Vietnam War, where he watched helicopter rescues in action.

Watching war casualties survive traumatic injuries thanks to the rapid intervention inspired him to create a helicopter emergency medical service closer to home, the profile says.

After graduating from UBC, Powell attended Canada's then-only emergency medicine training program at McGill University and worked as the director of emergency medicine at Calgary's Foothill hospital.

Powell co-founded STARS in 1985. The charity survived early financial struggles and expanded beyond Calgary in 1991, opening an Edmonton base.

The emergency medical service is celebrating its 40th year of operation this year. It has flown more than 60,000 missions across Western Canada, from bases across the prairies in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

For his work launching STARS, Powell was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2006. Powell also received the Alberta Centennial Medal in 2005, and the Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.

Powell also served as chair of emergency medical services for the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics and as medical director for internationally protected persons at the 2002 G8 Summit in Kananaskis.

He was later inducted into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame in 2018, and the Foothills Medical Centre helipad was named after him in 2015.