On December 6, a retirement party celebrating Tammy Barton’s 25+ years of service as the Garfield County Ambulance Director was held at the Panguitch Senior Center.
Ambulance service has been Tammy’s middle name for as long as most of us can remember. Tammy was always going “on the ambulance” and many people remember her picking up a loved one or helping to transport someone from Panguitch to St. George or Cedar City. Her life has been centered around ambulance service and we all appreciate her dedication.
Tammy became an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in 1992 and the Ambulance Director in 1993. She still served as the training officer for all EMTs after becoming the Ambulance Director.
She was instrumental in developing training for those serving in Garfield County. It was important to her to consolidate Garfield County EMTs into a cohesive group that could work together to save those in need of medical aid and get them to the hospital.
Tammy wanted our EMTs in Garfield County to be just as good or better than those who worked full time jobs in large cities and she believes that they are.
She first became a full time Director and Training Officer in 1999.
Kara Owens will be replacing Tammy as Ambulance Director for Garfield County. Previously, she has worked as an assistant for Garfield’s EMS since 2017.
On December 31, Tammy Barton retired with 32 years as an EMT and 25 and a half years as Ambulance Director. Historical knowledge is important and Tammy is grateful that those replacing her have the knowledge to carry on in an efficient manner.
She has also been part of a Critical Incident Management Team who worked with the Legislature to come up with an excellent insurance program for Volunteer EMTs. This has helped with the retention of good EMTs in rural areas.
In December, the Critical Management Team hired a film crew from Cedar City to interview some of our rural EMTs to help with recruitment and retention. Escalante’s Naketa Martel was the first EMT that was interviewed under this program.
Neil Barton, Tammy’s husband, served as an EMT for 25 years and currently her son Derrick, daughter Kelsie and son Bronson are also EMTs.
When asked what she was going to do with her life now she said, “Be a grandma.” She has learned not to give up everything she loved to do. Currently, she is writing a book, My View From the Back of the Ambulance, which she says will probably never be published, but is a great way of coping with a strenuous job.
Tammy Barton has had so many experiences but says, “No matter how much I have given to EMS over the years, it has given me more. I thank Heavenly Father for the positive attitude He has given me with this job. I have loved this job because of EMTs who are amazing, compassionate, good people to work with. They have made the job easier.”
– by Elaine Baldwin
Feature image caption: Tammy Barton retires from Garfield EMS.
Read about some other Garfield County retirements in Garfield Memorial Honors Four Retirees by Elaine Baldwin.
Elaine Baldwin – Panguitch
Elaine Baldwin is an Editor/Writer for The Byway. She is the wife of Dale Baldwin, and they have three children, 11 grandchildren and one great granddaughter. Elaine enjoys making a difference in her world. She recently retired after teaching Drama for 20 years at Panguitch High School. She loves volunteering and finds her greatest joy serving in the Cedar City Temple each Friday.