Dr. Nicholas Sparrow MBBS, BSC, CCFP-EM, President & Medical Director
Dr. Nicholas Sparrow received his medical training in London, England and qualified in 2001. He moved to Canada in 2008 where he worked in the lower mainland as a family and emergency physician. He moved to Nelson with his family (wife Krista and now 6 kids) in 2013 and works as an emergency physician at Kootenay Lake Hospital. In 2014, he started volunteering his free time responding to the highest priority 911 calls alongside the emergency services. To date he has responded to over 800 emergency calls in Province. In 2016 he founded Kootenay Emergency Response Physicians Association (KERPA), a registered charity. Our goal is simple… saving lives and helping the most critically ill and injured patients in our community – and supporting the emergency services.
Mr. Kai Schirp, Vice-President
Kai has been involved with KERPA right from its founding in 2016. He and Nic met at the Kootenay Lake Hospital, where he works as a Power Engineer. In addition to contributing to governance as a Board member, Kai oversees our operation and coordinates improvements and upgrades to the emergency response vehicle and medical equipment. This includes arranging seasonal maintenance and liaising with in-kind donors as needed. He and his family reside in Nelson, where Kai has lived since moving from Ontario at the age of three.
Myla Jillings, Treasurer
I am very thankful to call the west Kootenays home after my husband and I moved from Alberta 14 years ago. We enjoy camping, skiing and hiking with our dogs. I am a CPA with over 20 years of finance experience, working in manufacturing.
Sgt. Corey Hoy, Emergency Services Representative
Corey joined the KERPA Board in October 2019 as the Emergency Services Representative, a role which rotates annually to include an Emergency Responder from a different organization. Corey has served in the Police Service for approximately 20 years,initially being with the Calgary Police Service and currently with the Nelson Police Department. He has experience in general patrol, general investigation (detective), surveillance, and currently is one of the patrol sergeants supervising 5 general duty constables. He joined KERPA after becoming familiar with its work after meeting Nic on several emergency calls.
Miriam Ramsden, Secretary
Miriam Ramsden is KERPA’s Board Secretary, serving in her second term after joining as a Director in October 2018. Having resided in the region for many years and having worked in Administration at Kootenay Lake Hospital for 25 years, she was already familiar with many of KERPA’s supporting partners as well as members of the Board of Directors. In addition to supporting and expediting the realization of KERPA’s Vision, Mission and Values through her leadership on the Board, Miriam can be seen representing KERPA at events such as Canada Day at Lakeside Park and Community Initiative Presentations.
Amanda joined the board in 2023 as the Communications Director. With a background in Marketing & Communications, Amanda is able to support KERPA’s community and industry engagements and sponsoring efforts. Growing up in the Slocan Valley, Amanda knows well how the geography of our area can make receiving emergency care challenging and she looks forward to being able to help KERPA grow and support our goal to help critically ill and injured patients in our region.Lisa Voigt – Office Coordinator
Jason Lin – Clinical Consultant & Educator
Jason Lin is a registered nurse with 20+ years of flight nursing experience working prehospital in remote settings throughout the American Southwest, Alaska, Puerto Rico and Antarctica. His nursing career began in Trail, BC after graduating from Selkirk College. Later, combining a love of flying with his desire to care for critically ill patients, Jason became board- certified in emergency, critical care and flight nursing and he holds a fellowship in wilderness medicine. For over a decade Jason was the Chief Flight Nurse of a large multi-state air ambulance company advocating for safety and excellence in care. Jason is a clinical consultant and educator with KERPA supporting Dr. Sparrow in maintaining proficiency with clinical skills and meeting special operations accreditation standards.
Chris Hillary – Quality Improvement & Clinical Consultant
Chris Hillary graduated with his BSN in 2003. Since then, he’s spent more time working as a nurse outside of a traditional hospital setting than in. Following a stint at the Foothills Hospital Emergency department, he entered the world of transport and flight medicine in the West Kootenays with the HART team and then in Canada’s Arctic. In 2018, he took a teaching position at the Selkirk College School of Nursing. Excellence in the transport of the critically ill and injured is near and dear to my heart and I’m honoured to give back to my community through working with KERPA.