Robert Seebree. Courtesy photos.
VENTURA COUNTY — Two American Medical Response Ventura County team members, paramedic Robert Sebree and retired paramedic William “Sterling” Johnson, were awarded for their exceptional efforts on behalf of the community. Sebree was honored with a Star of Life Award from the American Ambulance Association, as well as a Clinical Excellence Award from California EMS Authority. Johnson received California EMS Authority’s Distinguished Service Medal.
Sebree was recognized for the lifesaving service he has provided for the Ventura County community since 1997. This includes his recent efforts that helped save a 4-year-old boy who had an object stuck in his airway and was having trouble breathing. Sebree intervened, visualized the child’s airway with a direct laryngoscopy, and used forceps to remove the object — resulting in an immediate improvement in the patient’s mental awareness. The child was transported to Adventist Health in Simi Valley and made a complete recovery.
“Robert is selfless, compassionate, experienced and greatly knowledgeable as a paramedic,” said Mike Sanders, AMR’s regional director for Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. “His heroic service has made a tremendous impact on countless lives in our community, and this recognition is incredibly well deserved.”
Johnson, who retired last November after 25 years of service as a paramedic with AMR Ventura County, was honored for the many noteworthy achievements he made over the course of his career. His many accomplishments include serving as a commissioner for the State of California EMS Commission from 1997 to 2006, as well as serving as a paramedic instructor at UCLA and an EMT instructor for the Ventura County Community College District. Johnson, whose main career was with the Simi Valley Police Department as a policer officer and lieutenant, also helped develop the department’s SWAT team, for which he became a medic and team leader from 1992 to 2001. While serving on the police force, Johnson went through school to become a medic, allowing him to join AMR part-time in this capacity for his 25 years of service with the ambulance company.
William “Sterling” Johnson.
“Sterling has ingrained himself into this community and devoted his entire life and career to helping others,” Sanders said. “Whether on the police force, as a paramedic or as an instructor, he has always made helping people a priority, and his efforts have made a positive difference in so many lives.”
AMR Ventura County employs approximately 145 paramedics and EMTs and handles an average of 64,000 calls annually. For more information, visit https://www.amr.net
About American Medical Response (AMR) — American Medical Response, Inc., America’s leading provider of medical transportation, provides services in 40 states and the District of Columbia. More than 28,000 AMR paramedics, EMTs, RNs and other professionals work together to transport more than 4.8 million patients nationwide each year in critical, emergency and non-emergency situations. AMR also provides fire services through Rural Metro Fire Department, www.ruralmetrofire.com. For more information about AMR, visit www.amr.net and follow American Medical Response on Facebook @AMR_Social on Twitter and Instagram.
AMR is part of the Global Medical Response family of companies. Global Medical Response, Inc. is the industry-leading air, ground, specialty and residential fire services, and managed medical transportation organization. With more than 38,000 employees, GMR delivers compassionate, quality medical care, primarily in the areas of emergency and patient relocation services in the United States and around the world. For more information, visit www.globalmedicalresponse.com