The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems will conduct an accreditation site visit of:

Hall Critical Care Transport Service

On March 6^th and 7^th 2012

The purpose of the site visit will be to evaluate the program’s compliance with nationally established medical transport standards. The site visit results will be used to determine whether, and the conditions under which accreditation should be awarded to the program.

CAMTS accreditation standards deal with issues of patient care and safety of the transport environment. Anyone believing that he or she has pertinent or valid information about such matters may request a public information interview with the CAMTS site surveyors at the time of the site visit. Information presented at the interview will be carefully evaluated for relevance to the accreditation process. Requests for public information interviews must be made in writing and sent to CAMTS no later than 5 business days before the site survey begins. The request should also indicate the nature of the information to be provided during the interview. Such request should be addressed to:

Office of the Executive Director

Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems

PO Box 130

Sandy Springs, SC 29677

The Commission will acknowledge such written requests in writing or by

telephone and will inform the program of the request for an interview. The

program will, in turn, notify the interviewee of the date, time and place of the meeting.

This notice is posted in accordance with the CAMTS requirements and may not be removed until the site visit is completed.

Hall received the award, which is the highest honor that the organization can bestow upon an individual at their annual conference in New Orleans.

The award recognized Hall’s commitment to and leadership in raising awareness in Bakersfield about preventing litter, keeping our roadsides clear, and encouraging community participation in activities to make Bakersfield a cleaner and better place to live.

Mayor Hall’s Freeway Litter Clean-up’s are scheduled twice monthly, and individuals, families, and community orgainzations are always encouraged to help. To find out more information or sign up for the next Mayor’s Freeway Clean-up, contact Mayor Hall’s office at 661-326-3770.

Successful employment candidates are enrolled in the rigorous training program that leads to a new career in Emergency Medical Services at Hall Ambulance.

After training is completed graduates are assigned to Advanced Life Support and Basic Life Support ambulance shifts in the Bakersfield 911 system.

Many EMT Academy graduates have gone on to full sponsorship in a Paramedic training program.

Click here for more information or to apply.

Mayor Hall’s freeway clean up project is in it’s ninth year and has removed 2,468 bags of trash from the on ramps and off ramps. Service clubs, civic groups, church groups and neighbors are all encouraged to participate and help keep Bakersfield Beautiful.

Additional clean up days are planned on October 1st and 22nd.

Contact the Mayor’s office at 661-326-3770 for more information.

Former Hall Ambulance employee Ron Klawitter and his family meet with Harvey Hall, The Paramedic Ambulance crew and Bakersfield Fire personnel.

Harvey L. Hall, Founder and President of Hall Ambulance facilitated the meeting. For Hall and Klawitter it was a walk down memory lane. Klawitter worked for Hall in the 1970′s and the two shared fond memories of days when they worked out of Tech 1, Hall’s first Cadillac ambulance.

During the event, Hall stressed the importance of someone in every home learning CPR. “It is because Ron’s wife knew CPR that my friend is here with us today” said Hall.

Klawitter suffered a sudden cardiac arrest on July 5th. His wife Jan, a CPR instructor, called 9-1-1 and then performed CPR until the Hall Paramedic Ambulance arrived two minutes later. Paramedic Perkins defibrillated Klawitter and was then assisted in resuscitative efforts by Bakersfield Fire Department Engine 7.

Klawitter gave thanks for his survival to his wife, the Hall Ambulance crew, the Bakersfield Fire crew and the 9-1-1 dispatcher.

Hall Paramedic Perkins said “This is a great example of a system of care that worked just as it should have”. He went on to add “If more people knew CPR, I think that we’d be celebrating many more of these great recoveries”.

25 Years
Darlene Williams was honored for 25 years of service. Williams started her career at Hall Ambulance in 1986 as a Wheel Chair Van driver. She moved into the business office 18 years ago serving in various roles over the years.

20 Years
Paramedic Marsha Starr was recognized for 20 years of service. Starr began her tenure in 1991. She is a past recipient of the prestigious President’s Award for Customer Service presented each year by Harvey L. Hall to the employee that best represents his customer service values. Starr is currently assigned to the Rosamond station.

Others recognized were

15 Years- Jason Scott, Paramedic
15 Years- Bryan Newton, EMT
10 Years- Angela Salazar, EMT
10 Years- Hank Blair, Mechanic
10 Years- Tracy Burnside, Business Office
10 Years- Mary Talbot, Payroll

According to Ostrom, “The extreme form of heat stroke is a medical emergency and can be fatal if not properly treated.” Hall Ambulance’s Ostrom says that cooling the victim is a critical step in the treatment of heat stroke.

As is the case with all heat related emergencies however, Ostrom emphasizes that “The most important step is prevention.”

“An important component of prevention” according to Ostrom, “is adequate hydration and to avoid excessive physical activities in hot and humid weather.” The elderly and young are at greatest risk. Other at risk groups include athletes and outdoor laborers.

Avoiding dehydration can be accomplished with electrolyte containing sports drinks such as Gatorade, and water.

When heat illness occurs Ostrom recommends cooling the victim by moving them into a shady area, removing clothing, applying cool or tepid water, and fanning. Wearing light colored and loose fitting clothing is helpful, as well as spending at least a portion of the day in a cool environment.
Ostrom recommends that the elderly and medically frail spend as much time as possible in a cooler, climate controlled environment on hot days. Some of the spots recommended by Ostrom to cool off include shopping malls, restaurants, libraries, and the county operated cooling centers (call 800-510-2020 for more info).

“Every summer our paramedics come in contact with entirely too many heat related emergencies” according to Harvey L. Hall, Founder and President of Hall Ambulance Service; “Many of which are entirely preventable”.

“By following these simple steps, our hope is that everyone will have a safe and enjoyable summer” added Hall.