Stanislaus emergency dispatcher honored with national award for decades of service
Trying to remain calm during an emergency situation is difficult. In a person’s most unfortunate moment, he or she would be fortunate to have LeAnn Riley on the other end of the phone.
For 35 years, Riley has been guiding people through some of the scariest moments of their lives as an emergency medical and fire dispatcher for American Medical Response in Stanislaus County.
Riley has been recognized with one of the highest honors in the emergency medical services industry: a 2025 Stars of Life award. This award, presented by the American Ambulance Association, recognizes paramedics, dispatchers and other emergency medical services providers for their exceptional leadership and dedication to the profession.
“I was shocked,” Riley said, upon learning she had been nominated and selected. “It actually brought tears to my eyes. I was so surprised, it was a nice surprise.”
Riley was one of 147 national recipients honored at a gala in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 16-18. She is the only recipient from Stanislaus County, joining 19 others from California.
The American Ambulance Association said of Riley, “Her remarkable ability to ask the right questions and quickly assess the appropriate level of response is not a skill acquired overnight. It reflects decades of experience, professional mastery, and a deep understanding of the emergency medical services industry.
“To her colleagues and supervisors, LeAnn is the very definition of an unsung hero. Her exceptional skill, accuracy, and commitment make her an indispensable part of her agency’s success and a trusted lifeline for her community.”
“I am very humbled and blessed that someone took the time to nominate me, and that they honored me in this way,” said Riley.
Her path into this profession started as a young girl; her father had been in a motorcycle accident, and an ambulance was called to assist. “I always thought it was doctors who worked on the ambulances, because they saved my dad. It became something I was drawn to, to work for the ambulance service,” she said.
At 19, she started at a local ambulance company, first working in the billing department before moving into dispatch. Riley said one of the most rewarding parts of the job is helping people. “We are on the phone with them until help arrives and we talk with them, and they’re not alone,” she said.
In more urgent situations, Riley has assisted countless callers in rendering CPR and other lifesaving aid. She recalled a particularly panicked call in November of 2008 when a child nearly drowned in a pond and she guided the mother through CPR as she waited for the ambulance to arrive. The child was unresponsive, and her body temperature was dangerously low when paramedics arrived.
She was airlifted to a Sacramento area hospital, where her chances of survival were low. The incident was profiled in The Modesto Bee as the child made a full recovery with no complications, thanks in part to the quick actions of Riley and paramedics who arrived on the scene.
Riley and other medical professionals visited the girl and her family after she was released from the hospital. “I don’t always know the outcome; that is not something we always know,” said Riley, recalling the event. “I go home at night, and I pray for people that I don’t know. That’s how I carry on and am able to answer the next call.”
Her work also has brought her many moments of joy, one of them being meeting her husband, Steven. “We met in this line of work — he was a paramedic,” she said. Married for 24 years, Riley and her husband enjoy a calm life in which she unwinds by baking and crafting. Though Steven is retired, Riley doesn’t see herself leaving her job any time soon.
“This is something I see myself retiring into. I’ve dedicated my life to this. And this is what I will do until I can no longer do it,” she said. “I think that there’s still more to be done. I still have a lot of years ahead of me, and I’m going to continue to help people. Maybe I can make a difference in more people’s lives.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2025 at 1:30 PM.
