Narrative

The California Ambulance Association (CAA) held it's 5th Annual Stars of Life event at the Sheraton Grand Hotel  in Sacramento, CA., March 16 - 19, 2009. The CAA's Star of Life celebration is a state program that honors dedicated ambulance service professionals from around the state.

The recipients of the "Star of Life" distinction are EMT's, medics, dispatchers, or other exceptional EMS personnel that have been nominated and are being recognized for service above and beyond the call of duty, years of service, on-duty heroism, or are employee of the year for their company.

The event featured a banquet and award presentation ceremony to honor the "Stars", a tour of the Capital building, and opportunities to meet with their local State Assembly and State Senate representatives.

This year CARE is proud to nominate the following four outstanding CARE employee's to receive the 2009 CAA Star of Life Award. They are Field Training Officers David White and Gerry Pugeda; Communications Training Officer, Paul Lopez; and System Engineer, Aaron Hamilton. They are being escorted by CARE's Public Relations Team, Bob Barry and Jamie Philip.

This year, as part of our 40th Anniversary celebration, we felt it would be fitting to recognize employees that exemplify the type of day in and day out commitment to excellence that has made CARE the company that it is today. Each of these individuals was chosen for his consistent dedication and performance without bringing attention to themselves. They represent the many "unsung hero's" here at CARE Ambulance that show up everyday, and contribute to the success of the company in a quiet, unassuming way.

DAVID WHITE, EMT

David White has worked at Care Ambulance for 8 years.  He is currently a Field Training Officer working in the city of Fullerton.  While most EMT’s in David’s age group are solely interested in gaining ambulance experience in order to move on to the fire service, David has shown remarkable maturity and leadership by taking on the role of training new employees.

David is being awarded the 2009 Star of Life for his commitment to his fellow employees and his willingness to share his knowledge while setting a positive example for others.  His efforts as an FTO have helped make Care Ambulance remain one of the premier ambulance services in Southern California.

 David’s personal goal is to become a firefighter and eventually continue on to medic school.  His hobbies include camping, backpacking, body surfing and snorkeling.

GERRY PUGEDA, EMT

Gerry Pugeda has worked at Care Ambulance for 20 years. He is currently a Field Training Officer.  He continually works with and trains the never ending stream of new EMT’s entering the field. His commitment to teaching them the way to do it right has helped keep Care’s reputation rock solid. 

Gerry is being awarded the 2009 Star of Life for his long time loyalty and commitment to shaping the workforce of today.  His personable style and work ethic provides both knowledge and leadership to the new hires he mentors.

Gerry has been happily married for 21 years. He loves to travel up and down the coast of California and taking the jet skis out to the river. He is also a mobile DJ, and love to play poker

He currently attends Riverside Community College and his goal is to eventually teach first responders through the Regional Occupational Program.

PAUL LOPEZ, COMMUNICATIONS

Paul Lopez has been dispatching at Care Ambulance for 3 years. He started his career back in 1991 as an EMT for Adams Ambulance. In 2000, he became a dispatcher for AMR. He came to Care Ambulance in 2006 during the transition when Care Ambulance was awarded their LA County EOA.

Paul is receiving the Star of Life for his unheralded ability to deliver outstanding service to the LA County EOA.  His personal knowledge of the area, along with his ability to assign proper resources and assist in guiding units to the scene, made the transition into the LA Area extremely smooth.  He has set the standard and maintains this same level of efficiency, each and every shift he works.  His quiet demeanor and calm personal presence during stressful times are in keeping with the highest standards of professionalism here at Care Ambulance.

Paul earned his Associates Degree at Cerritos College and enjoys golfing. One day he hopes to be a PGA teaching professional.

AARON HAMILTON, SYSTEM ENGINEER

Aaron Hamilton began working for Care Ambulance in 2000 as an EMT, and later as a part-time dispatcher.  While working as an EMT and Dispatcher, Aaron was attending UC Irvine working on a BS in Computer Engineering.

During this time, Aaron began working on simple IT projects at Care, like customizing Crystal Reports for the Billing Department.  Upon graduation Aaron was offered the position of Systems Engineer where he currently works full-time developing more efficient dispatch systems (911 interfaces, vehicle tracking, etc). 

Aaron is being awarded the 2009 Star of Life for his outstanding contributions to Care Ambulance Service.  His ability to quickly provide software and programming solutions for every department has led to numerous enhancements and efficiencies in dispatching, scheduling, and billing practices.  His can-do attitude along with his expert knowledge has earned him the nickname of “boy genius” amongst his peers.

On his off time Aaron enjoys snowboarding and flying helicopters.  His future goals include getting a Master's in Software or Electrical Engineering.

In addition to the awards ceremony and other activities, we were able to meet with several of our State representatives including Assemblyman Mike Duvall, Assemblyman Jim Silva, Senator Mimi Walters, Assemblyman Tony Mendoza, Assemblyman Charles Calderon, and Assemblyman Jeff Miller.

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