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On Thursday, May 7, the region gathered for the 3rd Annual Western PA Legends of EMS event to honor five distinguished leaders whose decades of service have helped shape emergency medical care across the region. Among those recognized was Edward R. Marasco, whose leadership played a key role in launching the STAT MedEvac program.

With more than 45 years of leadership and innovation in EMS and air medical services, Ed was recognized for his outstanding contributions to the field. He began his career at just 16 years old as a volunteer with the White Oak Rescue Squad in 1978. From there, he quickly advanced, earning his EMT and Paramedic credentials, serving as Assistant Chief at McKeesport EMS, and helping launch STAT MedEvac through his early work with American Ambulance and the Center for Emergency Medicine.

Throughout his career, Ed held several major leadership positions at UPMC, where he served as Clinical Administrator […]

Some careers are planned. Others take flight through inspiration. For Ian Cieslak, that inspiration came from watching his father, David, build a life in aviation.

David has spent the past eleven years working as an Aviation Records Coordinator at STAT MedEvac, but his connection to aviation goes back much further. A lifelong aviation enthusiast who earned his private pilot certificate in 2011, David turned his passion into a career after graduating from the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics in 2002. Over the years, he’s worked as an airline mechanic and remained deeply connected to the field he always loved.

Growing up, Ian had the benefit of seeing firsthand what his father did for a living and was no stranger to aviation, but it wasn’t always the path he imagined for himself. “I always enjoyed flying,” Ian said, “But it wasn’t necessarily something I had any career interest in.”
While that exposure didn’t immediately spark […]

Congratulations to Pilot Jeff Reep (front row, third from the right) on your retirement from STAT MedEvac and completing 10,000 flight hours!

ME6, Clarion Base, will miss you. Thanks for the memories!