California Ambulance Association Announces 2026 CAASE Award Winners
Source: California Ambulance Association
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The California Ambulance Association has announced the recipients of the 2026 California Ambulance Association Service Excellence Awards, known as the CAASE Awards. Presented in association with CAA Strategic Partner Life-Assist, the six winning entries were recognized during the CAA’s 78th Annual Convention at the Westin Anaheim Resort.
The CAASE Awards celebrate ambulance organizations that are advancing patient care, strengthening their communities, supporting their employees and developing innovative solutions to the challenges facing emergency medical services.
“These award recipients demonstrate the extraordinary breadth of work being undertaken by California’s ambulance providers,” said CAA President Steve Grau. “Whether they are improving cardiac-arrest survival, preparing communities to save lives, creating new career pathways or supporting employees following critical incidents, each winner represents the very best of our profession. Their work deserves to be recognized, celebrated and shared.”
2026 CAASE Award Recipients
Community Service
San Luis Ambulance — “80 Years of Saving Lives”
San Luis Ambulance transformed its 80th anniversary into a long-term investment in community cardiac-arrest preparedness. The organization committed to donating 80 automated external defibrillators over 10 years to businesses, churches and community organizations throughout San Luis Obispo County. Each AED donation is accompanied by hands-only CPR education, ensuring recipients have both the equipment and confidence to act during a cardiac emergency. In just 18 months, San Luis Ambulance donated 40 AEDs—reaching half of its 10-year goal and creating an expanding network of prepared community lifesavers.
Community Service
Falck Mobile Health Corp. — “Building California’s EMS Workforce: The Falck Health Institute”
The Falck Health Institute was recognized for developing a community-focused model designed to strengthen California’s future EMS workforce. Operating as a nonprofit organization, the Institute brings together EMT education, continuing professional development, instructor training, educational research, scholarships and community partnerships. Its work expands access to EMS careers, particularly for students from historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged communities, while helping to develop a better-prepared and more representative workforce for the future.
Clinical Service and Patient Outcome Project
Global Medical Response — “RHeaRT: Transforming Cardiac Arrest Outcomes Through High-Performance Resuscitation in Riverside County”
Global Medical Response’s Riverside High-Performance Resuscitation Team program, known as RHeaRT, was recognized for creating a coordinated, data-driven approach to cardiac-arrest care across Riverside County. The program brings ambulance clinicians, fire departments, medical directors, educators and quality-improvement specialists together around a standardized model of high-performance resuscitation. Through consistent training, performance review, quarterly competency validation and multiagency collaboration, RHeaRT has strengthened provider performance and demonstrated measurable improvements in return of spontaneous circulation and cardiac-arrest outcomes.
Innovation in EMS
Royal Ambulance — “Career Bridge Healthcare Track”
Royal Ambulance’s Career Bridge Healthcare Track gives EMTs structured exposure to hospital-based healthcare careers while continuing their work in EMS. Developed after Royal surveyed its workforce and found strong interest in nursing, physician assistant and medical careers, the program connects participating EMTs with seven hospital clinical teams and allows them to explore possible career paths before making significant educational and financial commitments. The initiative has supported substantially improved employee retention while establishing a replicable model for connecting ambulance service, workforce development and the wider healthcare system.
Employee Programs
Global Medical Response — “The Pacific Region Critical Incident Response Team”
Global Medical Response’s Pacific Region Critical Incident Response Team provides trained, objective and rapidly deployable support following traumatic events affecting employees and operational teams. The regional program supplements local peer-support resources when those resources are directly affected or overwhelmed, drawing trained personnel from California, Oregon and Washington. Organized into three rotating deployment teams, PAC-CIRT exceeded its 24-hour response standard during each of its first three activations, arriving within six hours in every case and within two hours on two occasions. The program provides immediate support to employees while helping local leaders navigate exceptionally difficult circumstances.
Judges’ Award for Community Engagement
Del Norte Ambulance, Inc. — “Del Norte Ambulance Radio PSA Campaign”
Del Norte Ambulance received the Judges’ Award for Community Engagement for using locally produced radio public-service announcements to deliver health, safety and EMS education across its rural community. The campaign uses an accessible and trusted local medium to reach residents and visitors with practical information while strengthening public awareness of emergency medical services. The judges recognized the initiative as a creative and effective example of how a community ambulance provider can extend its educational reach well beyond the traditional emergency response.
The CAA congratulates all six recipients and thanks every organization that submitted an entry for the 2026 awards. Their programs demonstrate how California’s ambulance providers are adapting, innovating and leading while remaining firmly focused on the patients, employees and communities they serve.
As the remainder of 2026 continues, the CAA will further highlight each of the award-winning programs through its educational webinar series, giving members and the wider EMS community an opportunity to learn directly from the organizations behind these initiatives and consider how their ideas may be adapted and replicated elsewhere.
Readers wishing to learn more about any of the winning programs, or to express an interest in participating in the forthcoming webinars, should contact CAA Executive Director Rob Lawrence in the first instance at info@the-caa.org.
About the California Ambulance Association
The California Ambulance Association represents ambulance providers and the professionals who deliver mobile healthcare throughout California. Through advocacy, education, collaboration and the promotion of industry best practices, the CAA works to strengthen emergency medical services and ensure that communities across the state have access to high-quality, sustainable ambulance care.
