Hall Ambulance Service announced its employees of the year by division, including paramedic, emergency medical technician, critical care transport, MedEvac 1 and emergency medical dispatcher, during its 2015 Employee Recognition Awards, held February 10 and 12, 2015, in downtown Bakersfield.

Paramedic of the Year
Gloria Sexton
Gloria Sexton joined Hall Ambulance in February 2011, quickly standing out amongst her peers as an exemplary employee. She has completed numerous training opportunities, and serves as a field-training officer, which includes participating in a recent pilot project, designed to train paramedics in Lamont.

In 2014, she completed her training with CCT and Hall Air, and joined an elite group of Paramedics that work advanced life support, critical care transport and MedEvac 1 shifts.

EMT of the Year
Joel Abel
A graduate of the 2007 Hall EMT Academy, Joel Abel has progressed his career, making demonstrated improvement in attitude and commitment to the Company.

His efforts earned him sponsorship into the 2014 paramedic-training program.

His positive attitude places him in the top five of all Hall Ambulance EMTs receiving compliments, worked 99% of all assigned shift hours and achieved 100% compliance with Road Safety Safe Driving.

Paramedic Field Supervisor of the Year
John Jimenez

A calm, caring demeanor are the words most used to describe the relationship John Jimenez exhibits with his patients and coworkers.  In fact, it is his name that is most frequently spoken when relief supervisor candidates are asked which current field supervisor they would most want to emulate.

Jimenez has helped train most of the paramedic supervisors that have joined the team behind him.  He takes each employee relationship very seriously, and when one of his subordinates fails to meet a particular standard, he feels personally responsible.  He is revered for his coaching and mentoring skills.

Recently, Mr. Hall received a letter from a paramedic explaining how Jimenez went out of his way to assist an out-of-town family during an end of life event.  Such action epitomizes the kind of EMS professional Jimenez has become.

Hall CCT MedEvac 1 Employee of the Year
Makenzie Stevens
For many flight nurses, their first exposure to a helicopter ride comes through a job interest ride-along or new hire orientation. That was not the case for Flight Nurse Makenzie Stevens. Her first helicopter ride came in quite a different manner—which is what motivated her to become a flight nurse.

At 17 years-old, she was critically injured in a motor vehicle accident and was transported by a MedEvac crew to a local hospital. Despite a grueling recovery process, this experience instilled a drive and passion for her to help others as she was once helped.

In 2004, she completed nursing school, spending the next six years working in local ERs, gathering much-needed experience to become a flight nurse.

In 2010, she joined Hall Critical Care Transport and became a full-time flight nurse on MedEvac 1, in February 2011.

Over the past four years, Stevens has developed a confident and independent skill set essential for a flight nurse. In 2014, she was instrumental in mentoring new flight nurses and paramedics. She also worked numerous overtime shifts, not missing a day of work.

Hall Critical Care Transport Employee of the Year
EMT Les Hutchison
Les Hutchison began his career with Hall Ambulance on May 5, 1973, where he was taught the Hall Way of doing business by Mr. Hall, himself.

He has served the Company in a number of capacities over the years including working as a supervisor, paramedic and training officer. Eventually, he felt his efforts were best utilized by returning to working as an EMT.

Hutchison is best known for his dedication to training new employees the proper manner of operating an ambulance through two different programs: Coaching the Emergency Vehicle Operator (CEVO) and Emergency Vehicle Operations (EVOC). In the mid-1970s, Hutchison developed a driving theory he called low force driving in which you ease into and out of the accelerator and brakes, offering the customer a more enjoyable and safer ride. More than 20 years later, this concept is employed through the Safe Force driver monitoring system.

It is estimated that Hutchison has taught his driving concepts to more than 1,000 EMTs and paramedics over his 40-year career at Hall Ambulance.

Emergency Medical Dispatcher of the Year
Ed Cordova
Ed Cordova has grown into a valuable asset to not only our Company, but also the communities we serve. He demonstrates his acquired skills in a calm, compassionate manner as an effective lead dispatcher.

In 2014, he processed over 5,157 calls for service, provided EMD instructions to over 684 calls, and dispatched over 5,000 calls.

He accomplished all of this while maintaining 100% EMD compliance.

For a complete listing off all divisional employees of the year, the President’s Award recipient and other honorees, check out the March/April 2015 issue of the HallMark newsletter, available at: https://hallamb.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/HallMark-MarchApril2015-web.pdf