On March 1st, Morongo Basin Ambulance was honored to be involved in the 20th annual Career Exploration Day at Yucca Valley High School. Students were able to speak with us, as well as many other public agencies and private businesses, about the career options that are available to them once they graduate.

Thank you to the Transition Partnership Program for allowing us to be there!!

It was a snowy day to remember! Today the snow came down but it didn’t stop people from calling 911 for medical aid – and it certainly didn’t stop us from getting to them! Whether it’s heat or rain or snow, you can count on Morongo Basin Ambulance to provide help to the citizens of the Morongo Basin!!

In January, the hard work and dedication of three former MBA employees finally paid off! Kudos and congratulations go out to Jenna Workman, Marc Hurwitz and Willie Youngberg.
(pictured above) Jenna Workman.
(pictured below) column 1-Jenna Workman, column 2-Marc Hurwitz and column 3-Willie Youngberg.

• Jenna Workman graduated from the Las Vegas Fire and Rescue Recruit Academy in Las Vegas, NV – she was also chosen as the valedictorian of her class!
• Marc Hurwitz graduated from the Rio Hondo Police Academy and will be joining the Alameda Police Department as an officer in Alameda, CA.
• Willie Youngberg graduated from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Academy and will be joining the Sheriff’s Department as a Deputy in Riverside County, CA.

  Congratulations from your MBA family – we are beyond proud of you all!!!

During the month of December, MBA was privileged to spend time at Walmart in Yucca Valley, gathering toys for Mara’s Christmas Wish (formerly Tender Loving Christmas). This fantastic local organization helps to provide for the homeless, lonely, elderly and those in poverty; individuals and families in need of food; and toys for the children in our community.

This year, because of the generosity from people like YOU, we were able to donate almost one thousand individual items…two full ambulances!!!  This included toys, books and games for children of all ages – and even FOUR bicycles! Many thanks to our community members for all your generosity and helping us to make this year special for so many.

On October 25th, MBA participated in the Trunk or Treat event held at Copper Mountain College. Activities included a meet-and-greet with the CMC basketball team (and their mascot – Spike the Fighting Cacti!), a 3-point shoot out, a slam dunk contest and a costume contest for the kids. Morongo Basin Ambulance was proud to be involved and happy to see the kids getting their fill of candy in a safe and secure environment!

On October 18th, Morongo Basin Ambulance along with Morongo Valley Firefighters Local 5028 and CAL FIRE, participated in the Great Shakeout Earthquake Drill at Morongo Valley Elementary School. Crews from local agencies worked with school staff to simulate an earthquake drill along with the search, triage, treatment and simulated transport of patients. Drills like this one allow different public safety providers and citizens to work together to prepare for disasters.

On September 7th, Medic Unit 8, Medic Unit 9 and the Operations Chief vehicle, along with a 5 member team, departed station 1 in Joshua Tree then headed to Northern California to participate in a large scale emergency response training event. This training allowed our crew members to work with multiple other private, state, and government agencies in teams as they assessed, treated, and transported patients and victims from natural, and large scale emergency type, disasters. MBA is honored to have been invited to participate in this training and for the opportunity to expand our skills and response readiness to better serve and protect our community.

Throughout the year, Morongo Basin Ambulance will have the honor of hosting Emergency Medicine Residents from Desert Regional Medical Center. On August 31st, Dr. Chad Becker, who is in his 3rd year of residency, was able to ride along with our crews. The program allows new Emergency Physicians to get a first hand look at pre-hospital EMS and the challenges we face every day as we treat the sick and injured. This programs also provides a unique opportunity to strengthen the already great working relationship we have with our hospital partners. Thank you for joining us Dr. Becker, and good luck with your career!

SBCoFD and MBA…partners in service.

Anytime a Morongo Basin resident, or visitor, calls 911, it triggers a chain of rapid activation involving many different cooperating agencies. MBA is honored to have served decades with SBCoFD as our partner in delivering EMS to your communities.

Simply put, we could not do what we do without the professionalism and expertise that SBCoFD provides. Both MBA’s Ambulances and the SBCoFD Engines are staffed with highly trained Paramedics. Working together on incidents provides the best possible care to the citizens and visitors of the Morongo Basin. We at MBA wanted to take a moment to thank the fine men and women of SBCoFD for their dedication to the Basin and the hard work they are called to do every day.