California Service Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Hall Ambulance Service, Inc., which provides 9-1-1 paramedic service to a majority of California’s third-largest county (Kern), celebrated its 50th anniversary on February 10, 2021.

Harvey L. Hall founded the company in 1971 from his residence in Bakersfield with a $15,000 bank loan and two ambulances. He built the company based on his ideals of care, compassion, and community.

His success derived from providing exemplary service and building relationships with his customers (the term he preferred to call patients transported by his ambulance service), local healthcare providers, and public safety agencies.

In July 2020, on the 50th anniversary of the Wedworth-Townsend Paramedic Act, the California Ambulance Association, in partnership with the National EMS Museum, profiled Hall as one of 17 native Californians for their impact on shaping EMS in the United States. In addition to introducing several patient care enhancements, Hall was the driving force in making Bakersfield one of the first cities in the state to begin providing paramedic-level service when Hall Ambulance began staffing paramedics on ambulances in February 1975.

In May 2018, the founder’s era came to an end following his short and unexpected battle with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Hall’s vision and legacy are now being carried forward by his wife, Lavonne C. Hall, as president and CEO, along with a dedicated leadership team.

Hall Ambulance has come a long way since 1971 when it started with two ambulances and five employees. Today, it employs over 450 EMS professionals and serves 88% of Kern County with a fleet of over 100 ambulances, an air ambulance, and a critical care transport unit.

Hall Ambulance’s continued success can best be attributed to a shared belief in the importance of adhering to Mr. Hall’s standards, also known as the “Hall Way of Doing Things.”