Sixty-nine residents of the skilled nursing facility at Kern Valley Hospital are in the process of being evacuated in response to the Erskine Fire.  Hall Ambulance Service, Inc. was requested to assist in this enormous logistical endeavor, working in cooperation with the County of Kern EMS Department, and Liberty Ambulance, which is the contracted paramedic provider for the Kern River Valley region.

The request was received at 5p.m. this evening, and is expected to continue through midnight.  Preparations for deployment included an emergency call-back effort resulting in 40 paramedics, EMTs, and 2 critical care transport nurses that are being utilized.  The Hall Ambulance resources and the EMS personnel committed to this assignment are in addition to, and are not impacting the Company’s 9-1-1 paramedic response system.

Erskine Fire:

Erskine Fire destroys upwards of 100 homes in Lake Isabella, burns 30k acres, 5% contained; 2 dead

Fifteen ambulances, a medi-van, multi-passenger bus, and a paramedic field supervisor unit are being utilized to transport the patients to skilled nursing facilities throughout Kern County, who have opened up additional beds to accept the evacuees.  Bakersfield Memorial Hospital has offered to accept 20 of the patients. 

Accompanying the EMS crews are nursing staff from San Joaquin Community Hospital, and Kern Medical, who were picked up by Hall Ambulance resources and taken to Kern Valley Hospital to accompany ambulatory patients who are able to ride on a bus.  Kern Regional Transit is providing additional resources to assist with moving those individuals. 

Hall Ambulance Service will provide additional updates as new information becomes available.

-courtesy Hall Ambulance Service