November/December 2019 ✱ 1

November/December 2019Vol. 24 No. 5

Celebrating an Exemplary Career

2 ✱✱ November/December 2019

Honoring Our Nation's First Responders Day

20

The

Bak

ersf

ield

Cal

ifor

nian

Su

nd

ay, O

cto

ber

27,

20

19

On duty with Hall Ambulance Service Inc.During a 12-hour shift, part-

ners Mitch Findley and Andrew

Bussell handle everything from

chest pain and difficulty breath-

ing to car accidents. They often

set the tone when they respond

to a call for a medical emer-

gency. “You’re this person’s sav-

ing grace,” Findley said. “Your

actions will affect how the call

will go.”

Mitch Findley, left, and Andrew Bussell

park at Post 5 in south Bakersfield.

Ambulances are assigned to posts

based on the anticipated needs

throughout the day.

PHOTOS BY MARK NESSIA / THE CALIFORNIAN

Paramedic Mitch Findley radios Adventist Health Bakersfield as a patient is transported to the hospital.

Hall Ambulance EMT Andrew Bussell

drives a patient to Memorial Hospital. If

the situation is not severe, drivers will

transport patients slowly and gently with

sirens off.

The ambulance

bay at Memorial

Hospital quickly fills up as

patients are

transferred

for medical

aid.

National First Responders Day

A bipartisan Senate resolution desig-nated October 28, 2019, as "Honoring the Nation's First Responders Day." The reso-lution encouraged Americans to honor our country's estimated 4.6 million career and volunteer EMTs, paramedics, fire-fighters, and law

enforcement officers with ceremonies and activities to recognize their contributions. In Bakersfield, there were several gestures of appreciation starting with The Bakers-field Californian, which published a special 24-page-section honoring local first re-sponders. It featured reflections from pub-lic safety leaders, including Lavonne C. Hall, president and CEO of Hall Ambulance

Service, Inc., Bakersfield Police Chief Lyle Martin, CHP Capt. Scot Loetscher, KCFD Deputy Chief Dean Boller, and Bakersfield Fire Department Chief Anthony Galagaza. Reporter Mark Nessia contributed a feature entitled, "A Day in the Life: On duty with KCSO, Bakersfield Fire and Hall Ambulance." In it, he detailed his experiences of riding along with first responders throughout their shift. Hall Ambulance celebrated the day and its employees by providing free breakfast burritos for the crews. Community recognition came in a big way from Wiki's Wine Dive & Grill, which hosted a free sack lunch for first respond-ers. A special drive-thru lane was set up in front of the restaurant where a steady stream of ambulances, fire engines, and patrol cars came through with first re-sponders grateful for the recognition. ✱ ✱

Crews enjoyed a free lunch at Wiki's Wine Dive & Grill. Pictured are Mrs. Hall, EMT David Taylor, Paramedic Timothy McLey, Paramedic Supervisor Mike Zapiain, Hall CCT Manager Chris Leone, and General Manager Myron Smith.

EMT Martell Rufus & Paramedic Marcus Hackmon give a thumbs-up in appreciation of the breakfast burritos in honor of First Responder's Day.

by Mark Corum, director of media services

November/December 2019 ✱ 3

11th Annual Harvey L. Hall Lights & Sirens Memorial

Invitational

Once again, the EMS, public safety, and business communities came together to raise funds for local burn survivors and their families.

The greens at Stockdale Country Club were pristine which combined with cooler temperatures allowed for a perfect day of golfing for a cause!

Proper care of the burn survivor re-quires a long-term commitment as each survivor transitions through the many different ages and stages of life, each with its own unique challenges.

Proceeds from this event enables the Ba-kersfield Firefighters Burn Foundation to make a positive impact in the lives of burn survivors through programs such as burn survivor camp sponsorships and commu-nity burn prevention education. The Kern County Firefighters Burn Survivors Trust is able to host over 50 survivors and their families to a 3-day-campout in Kernville. Since its inception, the Harvey L. Hall Lights & Sirens Memorial Invitational has raised more than a half million dollars. ✱ (Top) First place Net winners of this

year's tournament. (Middle) Dr. Peter Grossman warms up on the putting greens. (Above) John Surface auctions off a HLH Memory Quilt.

by Mark Corum, director of media services

4 ✱✱ November/December 2019

On September 26, Paramedic Robert Warren completed his final radio log-off, drawing to a close 39 years of continuous, dedicated service and patient care.

Warren, aka em-ployee number six, resumed his EMS career at Hall Ambulance, following a

brief hiatus, on January 11, 1980–making him the 4th longest tenured employee at the Company.

He obtained his paramedic license on July 14, 1989 making him California State Paramedic #200 and Kern County Paramedic #5.

Warren was one of the few lucky enough to have learned the ideals of care, compassion, and community working alongside Mr. Hall in Tech 1 and the early

paramedic units. "It was really wonder-ful being able to watch this guy build this company from what he called the 'free-enterprise' system to be able to develop a place that was going to serve the needs of community," Warren said. "But, to me, more importantly, he wanted to develop a good place for people to come to work, have a career, and enjoy themselves."

Warren's high level of patient care re-sulted in him receiving 137 patient compli-

Paramedic Robert Warren Logs-Off After 39 Years of Continuous Service

Archive photo of Robert Warren (right) and another crew member getting ready to load a patient into MEDI-VAC 2, the fourth paramedic unit.

by Mark Corum, director of media services

November/December 2019 ✱ 5

longtime co-worker's achievement. The three enjoyed reminiscing about the early days of the Company, taking turns sharing

Les Hutchison and Ed Smith joined Robert Warren at his retirement luncheon. Together, employees number three, six, and two culminate a total of 132 continuous years of EMS experience at Hall Ambulance Service.

ments (since 2011 when statistics started being recorded) and 30 commendations. One such compliment called in by a regis-tered nurse in 1981 stated she had "never seen such efficiency and compassion" as Robert and his partner provided to their patient.

He has also served as a men-tor to hundreds of employees throughout his career, passing on the "Hall Way" of providing care as he was taught by Mr. Hall.

On October 23, Mrs. Hall host-ed a retirement luncheon for Warren at the Elks Lodge, attend-ed by several family members and leadership staff. Joining the fes-tivities were Ed Smith, employee number two, and Les Hutchison, employee number three, who turned out to celebrate their

stories. During the luncheon, Mrs. Hall thanked

Warren for his commitment to Hall Am-bulance and patient care. Chief Operating Officer John Surface and General Manager Myron Smith presented him with the Hall Ambulance Star of Life in ap-preciation of an exemplary career.

Warren was then presented with a shadow box containing several photos and items related to his career at Hall Ambulance. Obviously touched by the gift, he smiled as he looked over the various items ranging from his key fob to his paramedic card. Warren then pointed to a photo of himself with Mr. Hall and exclaimed, "This of course, is the best part!" ✱

Paramedic Robert Warren and his wife, Karleen, enjoying themselves at the paramedic's retirement party.

6 ✱✱ November/December 2019

On October 13, 268 supporters of those affected by Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) gathered at Lake Ming for the sec-ond annual Strides for CJD Bakersfield, in memory of Harvey L. Hall.

CJD is a rare neurodegenerative dis-ease that has no treatment or cure. CJD is caused by “prions,” proteins that can misfold in the brain, with devastating ef-fects, including rapid mental and physical deterioration. CJD is the most common of the “prion diseases.” Prion diseases are invariably fatal.

Hall Ambulance Founder Harvey L. Hall became suddenly ill in April 2018 and just two weeks and 7 hours after diagnosis, lost his battle to the sporadic form of CJD.

Vowing to become advocates, the Hall family connected with the CJD Founda-tion and decided to host a Strides event in Bakersfield to create additional awareness in the community, while raising money for the non-profit to fund research grants, education, and family support.

This year, participants walked in mem-ory/honor of six individuals impacted by CJD, including Arturo De La Cerda, Sr., Debbie Hill, Harvey L. Hall, Lizbeth Rivera, Neil W. Foster, and Nikki Butto.

For the second year in a row, Team Big H, in Memory of Harvey L. Hall, was the Top Fundraising Team Nationwide Win-ner bringing in $72,155.14 in donations

and Strides for CJD Bakersfield raising $78,112.54 in total. "Our success wouldn't be possible without the support of so many Hall Ambulance employees and their families," said Lavonne C. Hall. "This year, we were also fortunate to have the support of the community and several businesses that we have had a strong relationship with through the years." Diamond Sponsors included Cindy Elbert Insurance Services, the Hall Family, and Hall Ambulance Ser-vice, Inc. Gold sponsors included Kevin Harvick, Bakersfield Firefighters Burn Foundation, American Ambulance, The Lynn Company, Dignity Health, CSU Ba-kersfield, Houston Jewelers, Commercial Trade Bureau, Congressman Kevin & Judy McCarthy, Stinson's, Bound Tree Medical, Jacqualine Att, John Bentley, John & Mindy Surface, and Myron & Kellie Smith.

A special thanks to our media spon-sors KERO 23ABC, and iHeartMedia Bakersfield; and, our in-kind sponsors Ac-tion Sports, Raymond's Trophy Awards, Trifecta DJ, Hall Letter Shop, Inc., and Bakersfield Breakfast Lions, who prepared a delicious barbecue chicken lunch.

This year, there was a total of 17 loca-tions that held Strides events across the nation, including Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Akron/Cleveland, Denver, Pittsburgh, Se-attle, Morris County, New Jersey; and St. Louis. ✱

Ed and Jane Smith crossing the finish line.

Even Myron Smith's dog, Kaiser, received a medal at the finish line.

Skyler Blair is joined with her college friends Maggie Pacor and Sadie Vincent at Strides for CJD Bakersfield.

November/December 2019 ✱ 7

Welcome New Employees

Happy Birthdayby Krystal Mascarinas, human resources specialist

Display Your Company Pride for a Chance to Win!

We are rounding the employee parking lots to see who is proudly displaying their Hall Ambulance license plate frame. If one of these belongs to you, bring your registration to Administration and claim your prize!

A Personnel Note

7KWV409 7XQK215 7KWV409 5JWA363

11/02 Gilbert Martinez, Jr.11/02 Mary Kenny11/03 Kevin Newsome11/03 Isaac Gold11/04 Carrie Certuche11/05 Ed Smith11/07 Daniela Duran11/08 Emily Karns11/08 Derek May11/09 Bradley Quintana11/09 Jose Vasquez11/09 Jessica Anguiano11/09 Jeffrey Hall11/13 Alyssa Vargas 11/14 Arielle Austin11/14 Jose Flores11/15 Jesse Gonzales11/16 Jeffrey Tweedt11/16 Irene Patino11/14 Shannon Agcaoili11/17 Kent Frazier11/19 Keifer Reed11/20 Robert Lopez

07/24 Diana Mennenga, Transportation Coordinator07/30 Brian Cote, Paramedic07/30 Isabella George, EMT07/30 Zachary Martin, EMT07/30 David Reyes III, EMT08/12 Mark Zimmerman, Maintenance Detailer08/12 Chase Wooten, Maintenance Detailer08/12 Bertha Flores, Maintenance Detailer08/27 Jonathan Cortijo, Paramedic08/27 Megan Feldman, EMT08/27 Andrew Starkey, EMT

08/27 Jose Silva, EMT08/27 Abraham Aparicio, EMT08/27 Adrian Mendoza, EMT09/03 Jenny Ramirez, HR Director09/17 Samantha Ramirez, Claims Specialist09/17 Mariana Lucero, Pre-Biller Data Coordinator10/01 Steven Keller, Paramedic10/01 Rocio Medrano Calderon, EMT10/01 Antonio Michel, EMT10/01 Eugene Parian, EMT10/07 Amparo Hernandez, Medi-Cal Coordinator

11/20 Anabel Martinez Zepeda11/21 Mathew Sullivan11/21 David Bentley11/22 Shrey Patel11/22 Ken Sexton11/22 David Reyes III11/23 Alfredo Marroquin11/23 Reed Johnston11/24 Adam Sterling11/24 Maricela Davalos11/25 Darcy Allred11/27 Kevin Robles11/27 Jose Ordaz11/27 Grant Presley11/30 Jose Sanchez11/30 Lupe Agcaoili11/30 Brian White12/1 Michelle Torres12/02 Justin Hartson12/03 Ricardo Hernandez Cervantes12/05 Edgar Palomera12/05 Carries Ames

12/05 Donovan Rutherford12/05 Larry Sims12/06 Michael Loftus12/06 Frank Lopez12/07 Anthony Hernandez12/09 Richard Davis12/11 Jackie Albertalli12/12 Guadalupe Torres12/13 Marlin Coffia12/13 Marcelino Cardona12/13 Brian Holder12/14 Robin Holm12/15 Nicholas Burchstead12/15 Monica Goldman12/16 Jonathan Kutscher12/17 Brian McChristian12/17 Anna Aguilera12/17 Lashika Britton12/19 Lisa Darling12/19 James Tollison12/20 Marsha Aase12/20 Arturo Patino12/21 Lori Tomlin

12/22 Donnie Self12/22 Kirk Chambers12/22 Rachelle Knight12/23 David Taylor12/23 Piper Harville12/23 Michelle Monroe12/23 Bryan Newton12/24 Chase Wooten12/25 Shawn Crocker12/26 Zachary Martin12/29 Alejandro Martinez12/29 Elvia Rios Lopez12/31 Christian Larsen12/31 John Gibson

10/07 Thomas Hammersley, Maintenance Detailer10/14 Mike Lucero, Supply Technician10/14 Gregory Flores, Maintenance Detailer10/21 Beth Cornell, Senior HR Generalist11/05 Isaac Gold, Paramedic11/05 Tyren Evans, EMT11/05 Monica Goldman, EMT11/05 Donovan Rutherford, EMT11/05 Roderick Nearing, Communications Specialist

8 ✱✱ November/December 2019

Founder of Hall Ambulance Service Harvey L. Hall

(1971-2018)

President & CEO Lavonne C. Hall

EditorMark Corum

Copy EditorSharon Scoggins

ContributorsMark Corum

Krystal Mascarinas

Photography Mark Corum

The HallMark is published for the staff, friends, and family of Hall Ambulance Service, Inc.

Comments, questions, or suggestions should be directed to Mark Corum, director of

media services at: corumm@hallamb.com.

Established in 1971, Hall Ambulance Service is the 9-1-1 paramedic provider for 88% of Kern County, California's population. The Company serves the communities of Bakersfield, Arvin, Lamont, Frazier Park, Tehachapi, Rosamond, Mojave, California City, Boron, Taft, Shafter, and Wasco.

Hall Ambulance was the recipient of two statewide awards for innovation and quality at the California Ambulance Association's Annual Convention and Reimbursement Conference on September 25, in San Diego.

The California Ambulance Association Service Excellence (CAASE) Awards recognize excellence, resourcefulness, and ground-breaking ideas being implemented by California ambulance operators and showcase best practices of the ambulance business in the state.

An Innovation in EMS Award was presented to Hall Ambulance for its creation of the Harvey L. Hall EMS Academy. This stand-alone facility serves as the training center for the Hall EMT Academy, the Hall Paramedic Academy, as well as hosting new employee orientation and continuing education programs for currently employed Hall Ambulance EMTs, paramedics, RNs, and emergency medical dispatchers.

The 2,560 sq. ft. facility features two classrooms, a clinical lab, and a simulation room featuring a high-fidelity adult patient simulator that allows students to further their knowledge with hands-on, life-like patient scenarios.

The second award for Clinical Outcome

Announcing the Recipients of the Harvey L. Hall/ Hall Ambulance Medical Scholarship

Project was presented to Hall Ambulance for its efforts to improve sudden cardiac arrest survivability by educating its crews and other first responders in high-performance CPR, data analysis, and the implementation of new technology. As a result, the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) rate was improved from 16% in 2015 to 34% today. ✱

CAA Re-Names its President's Award in Honor of Hall Ambulance Founder

In July, the California Ambulance Association Board of Directors voted to rename the President's Award of Excellence in honor of Hall Ambulance Founder Harvey L. Hall for the leadership he provided to the CAA.

Outgoing president Alan McNany presented the award to Steve Grau, CEO and founder of Royal Ambulance during the CAA Annual Convention.

"Being a new association member back in 2008 and watching Mr. Hall's focus and resolve in leading our industry to rise above challenges and unifying all of us in purpose is one of the things that inspired me to be involved and committed today," said Grau, in appreciation of being the first recipient of the award. ✱

Steve Grau accepts the Harvey L. Hall President's Award of Excellence from Alan McNany, outgoing president of the California Ambulance Association.

Mrs. Hall, Myron Smith, general manager, and Tracy Burnside, assistant manager of the Business Office, accepting two CAASE Awards presented during the CAA Annual Convention.