BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Hall Ambulance is marking 2026 National EMS Week by highlighting a historical tie to the president who created the observance.
President Gerald Ford authorized National Emergency Medical Services Week in 1974 to recognize EMS professionals and their work in communities across the country, the company said in a statement.
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That same year, Hall Ambulance founder Harvey L. Hall was asked to support advanced cardiac care training in Bakersfield. The effort later became the community’s first paramedic training program.
On Feb. 24, 1975, Hall Ambulance introduced paramedic-level care in Bakersfield, making it one of the first communities in California to receive that advanced level of emergency medical care.
One month later, Hall Ambulance provided standby support when President Ford arrived at and departed from Bakersfield’s Meadows Field aboard Air Force One on March 31, 1975.
The company’s newly implemented mobile intensive care ambulance and paramedic crew drew praise from Assistant White House Physician Chester L. Ward, M.D., who noted the advanced capabilities Hall Ambulance had brought to the community.
“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,” Dr. Ward wrote.
“Our history is marked by regional firsts that changed local emergency care,” VP of Marketing & Brand Strategy Mark Corum said. “From the Hall EMT Academy to critical care transport and Kern County’s centralized 9-1-1 ambulance dispatch, each milestone has strengthened the EMS system.”
Corum said this year’s EMS Week theme, “Improving Outcomes, Together,” reflects Hall Ambulance’s 55-year focus on patient care, teamwork and innovation.
“Better outcomes mean people coming home, families staying together and communities feeling safer because EMS was there,” he said.
The week will also include a moment of remembrance on May 19 for founder Harvey L. Hall, who died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in 2018.
