“He really took extra gratitude in knowing that he was helping shape the future of the EMS program through his teachings,” said his wife, Jolene Hall.

So when Steve Hall, of Fort Dodge, passed away in July 2020, his family wanted to find a way to honor his dedication to the EMS profession. Last month, that effort came to fruition with the donation of a specialized EMS responder bag and supplies to the Iowa Central training program.

Jolene Hall knew this was the perfect way to honor the memory of her late husband.

“He enjoyed teaching so much and if there was a teachable moment — whether it was in the classroom or out in the field or in the ER at the hospital — he was always very willing and he was very good to teach,” she said. “Everyone always responded very well to him. He was always very, very helpful.”

-Submitted photo
Iowa Central EMS program coordinator Paul Arens goes through the new first response bag donated by Jolene Hall, right, widow of former EMS instructor and paramedic Steve Hall.

Paul Arens, coordinator for the Iowa Central EMS program, is grateful for the much-needed donation from the Hall family.

The first response bag that was donated is called a STATPAK, he said. Within the bag are three module bags, which contain IV supplies, airway supplies and medication.

“The Hall family was generous enough to donate the actual bag, along with the three module bags,” Arens said. “Some of the money they donated helped purchase some of the supplies to put within the bag as well.”

The EMS training program — which trains emergency medical technicians and paramedics — uses a lot of hands-on learning, which makes first response bags a vital tool in the students’ educations.

“Really on any EMS call, that is the main bag that the responders would carry in,” he said. “It contains their main supplies.”

The EMS program did already have a couple of the first responder bags, but the tools were stretched thin across the various classes going on at one time, causing some challenges. Having an additional bag will allow more flexibility for class scheduling.

The students at Iowa Central are already using the new first response bag, Arens said.

Steve Hall started his career in emergency medical services in 1985. He spent 18 and a half years working as a paramedic specialist for Trinity Regional Medical Center until he retired in 2003. His passion for patient care is what led him to join the faculty at Iowa Central for 14 years.