By: Bill Curtis 4:33 PM Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

The Kern County Board of Supervisors recognized six people today that exemplify excellence in the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system. Peers and employers nominate EMS personnel of the year. One person is selected from each of the certified and licensed disciplines of EMS. In addition, a service award and a lifetime achievement award are given.

The service award is given to an individual whose contributions occur behind the scenes, but those efforts are instrumental to the success of the EMS system. A lifetime achievement award is given to an individual who has dedicated the majority of his/her career to EMS and who has demonstrated excellence throughout the career as an EMS professional.
It is difficult to select only six individuals for these special awards, as there are so many individuals very
deserving of the recognition.

Kern County Fire Department captain Randy Griffin is the emergency medical technician of the year.
Last July, while on the fire line battling the Zaca Fire in Santa Barbara County, Griffin and his crew got an assignment to respond to a vehicle accident. He found a vacuum truck that had gone off a 30-foot cliff into a ravine. The driver was trapped inside. The crew performed the extrication of the patient and he provided initial medical treatment. He packaged the patient for transport and arranged for flight out of the
area by helicopter.

Paramedic of the year is Sam Swanson of Hall Ambulance Service, Inc. He has been a paramedic with Hall for almost nine years, and Swanson is respected by his peers for his keen skills and knowledge. He has been instrumental in field training many new paramedics. Swanson is always willing to allow others
to benefit from his experience and happily accepts any training challenge that may come his way.
Swanson is the go-to guy when it comes to being a paramedic preceptor and has served as a mentor to many of the paramedics in our system today.

Laura Swank is the emergency medical dispatcher (EMD) of the year. Swank has worked seven years for Hall Ambulance Service, Inc. and is known for her calm and compassionate demeanor while dispatching, her work ethic, and her positive attitude. Swank routinely receives compliments from other agencies, medical facilities, and fellow employees who appreciate her knowledge, skill, and accuracy as a dispatcher. Swank excels at this job, and she has attained an EMD accuracy rate of 99.1 percent.
Kern Medical Center’s Antonio Rodriquez is the emergency care nurse of the year. Rodriquez has worked most of his 25 years as a trauma nurse in the emergency department. Rodriquez’s compassion extends beyond patient care and encompasses family members and co-workers. Rodriquez is respected for his
knowledge, experience and decision-making and for teaching new nurses the skills needed to survive working in the emergency department.

Christine Harker is the service award recipient. Being the primary instructor for Bakersfield College’s
paramedic program since its inception in 2004, most of Harker’s work occurs behind the scenes. Harker developed the paramedic program curriculum and an EMT mentoring program. Harker actively recruits students and devotes a lot of energy in community outreach activities. Her efforts
are vital to developing and maintaining Kern County’s EMS workforce.

Kirk Blair was selected for the lifetime achievement award. Blair retired as Bakersfield City Fire
Department deputy chief after thirty years of service. Chief Blair worked in almost every role within the
fire department, and Blair was a key player in developing the local Metropolitan Medical Response
System.

EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT

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