As the nation prepares to celebrate National EMS Week next week, Hall Ambulance is taking a nostalgic look back at a unique historical connection to the President who introduced it.
In 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week to celebrate EMS professionals and the important work they do in our nation’s communities. Coincidentally, this was the same year that Founder Harvey L. Hall was approached to support advanced cardiac care training that would evolve into the first paramedic training program and result in Hall Ambulance introducing paramedic-level care to Bakersfield on February 24, 1975—making it one of the first communities in California to benefit from this advanced level of life-saving care.
One month later, Hall Ambulance provided standby support for President Ford’s arrival and departure with Air Force One at Bakersfield’s Meadows Field on March 31, 1975. The company’s newly implemented mobile intensive care ambulance and paramedic team crew drew praise from Assistant White House Physician Chester L. Ward, M.D., who was impressed by the advanced capabilities on display. Dr. Ward wrote, “It was comforting to know that if the President or anyone accompanying him during their visit to Bakersfield had needed care, there was a vehicle available as well equipped and manned from the Hall Ambulance Company.”
“Our history is defined by a series of regional firsts that have redefined local emergency medical care,” said Mark Corum, VP of Marketing & Brand Strategy. “These milestones include the establishment of the Hall EMT Academy (2001) which provides on-the-job training to a local workforce; creating interfacility transport solutions with the formation of Hall Critical Care Transport (2009) which is staffed by an RN, paramedic, and EMT; and a centralized Communications Center that has processed every 9-1-1 ambulance request in Kern County since 2015.”
“This year’s EMS Week theme, ‘Improving Outcomes, Together,’ perfectly aligns with our 55-year legacy of exemplary patient care,” Corum said. “It reflects the collective efforts of our EMS system, the compassionate care of our paramedics and EMTs, and the advanced skills and innovative tools at their disposal. These improved outcomes mean more than just better vital signs—they represent people returning home, families staying together, and communities feeling safer because EMS was there,” he said.
To honor its over 500 employees, Hall Ambulance will host a series of Company events, kicking off with the EMS Week Family Picnic for employees and their families. During the week, employees will receive an OGIO duffel bag embroidered with Hall Ambulance’s patch and 55-year logo, and, just in time for summer, a 55th-anniversary cooling towel.
The week will also include a solemn moment of reflection on May 19, in remembrance of Founder Harvey L. Hall, who lost his battle to Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease that day in 2018. EMS crews will wear purple epaulets, while support staff are encouraged to wear a ribbon or a CJD bracelet.
On Thursday, non-uniformed staff will display their team spirit by incorporating the Company’s signature orange and blue into their professional attire.
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