33-year volunteer honored By MV Fire District

By VERNON ROBISON

Moapa Valley Progress

The Moapa Valley Fire District recognized one of its finest at its annual Christmas Banquet held at the Old Overton Gym on December 1. The district presented Overton resident Kathy Nelson with its very first Volunteer of the Year award.

“We instituted the award this year as a way to recognize some of the great people who serve the community in the Fire District,” said Logandale Station Chief Tim DeBerardinis. “Kathy has been a mainstay of the district for a long time!”

Nelson has been running emergency calls out of the Overton Station #74 for 33 years now. According to a statement released by the District she has dedicated thousands of hours of service training other volunteers in the community.
“Kathy is always willing to step in when needed and is someone you can count on to be on that ambulance,” the statement said.

DeBerardinis said that Nelson had been his Emergency Services trainer when he was a new volunteer at the Logandale station back in 1993. He said that he had learned a great deal from Nelson both in the training classes, and in volunteering in the field ever since.
“Kathy has always maintained a professionalism and composure even in the most chaotic of circumstances,” DeBerardinis said. “She has taught me a lot and I am grateful for that.”

Elwin Brown, who served for many years as Chief of the Overton Station said that Nelson has long been a core volunteer at the station.
“There are times, when she has carried the district, basically providing the only EMS services in the whole community for blocks of time during the day,” Brown said. “There has been times when she carried it all. She has definitely been a crucial part of the station and the community.”

Nelson said that she was both surprised and grateful for the recognition. She said that her volunteer service to the community have been, and continue to be, a valuable part of her life, she said.
“I love serving the people of the Valley,” Nelson said. “It gives me a good feeling to help people in need, especially when those people are my friends and neighbors.”

Nelson pointed out that the district is looking for younger people to take volunteer positions in the local stations. She hopes that people will come forward and experience the rewards of helping the community in this way.

“Eventually, we will need a new generation to take over from us,” Nelson said. “Until we have a newer group I don’t feel secure in leaving it. I suppose someday I will have to. But I plan to stay with it as long as I can.”

In a parting word, Nelson gave an interesting plea to the residents of Moapa Valley. “If I could say anything to people out there it would be that I wish everyone would put address numbers on their homes so we can see them,” Nelson said. “That way we can find them easier in case of an emergency. Sometimes it is hard to find the addresses that we are called to in an emergency.”