Honorees

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Year Honored
2007
Honoree
Eric Collin Hanson
Agency
Marble Falls Area EMS
Agency City
Marble Falls
Agency State
TX
Last Call
10/10/06
Cause of Death
Ambulance Involved MVC
Biography
Eric was deeply affected by the events of September 11, 2001. He re-evaluated his life and decided that helping people was the way his life should be defined. He looked into what was required to become a paramedic. He had to rush to sign up for the CPR class and was admitted into the EMS program at Austin Community College. After completing the two and one-half year program, he passed the paramedic test and immediately became well established in the medical field. The Medical Director for Marble Falls Area EMS wrote "in his short tour of duty as a trained paramedic he was the best one she had encountered".<br /> Eric Collin Hanson, 26, of Austin, Texas died on October 10, 2006. Mr. Hanson and his partner had dropped off a patient at Austin Heart Hospital. On the return trip back to the station the ambulance was stuck by a landscaping truck, which crossed the center line hitting the rescue vehicle. Eric was instantly killed; his partner suffered severe injuries and has since recovered.<br /> <br /> Eric was a paramedic with Marble Falls Emergency Medical Services. He became involved from the day he joined the squad. He designed the logo for their "Burnet County Everyone Always Rides Safe" (BEARS) program.<br /> <br /> The young EMS worker was involved with several programs and currently was interested in learning about grant writing. He regularly spent time at the station studying textbooks about the heart monitor, and was scheduled to use some vacation time to further his career in rescue training. Eric was an artist, writer, musician, spoke fluent Japanese, and had an enormous talent in the care of others. Before the attacks of 9-11, Eric was in college studying engineering and biology. After the terrorist attack, he looked deeper into how he could make a difference by helping others. A quote from Benjamin Franklin has brought some comfort to Eric's family. Franklin writes, "A long life may not be good enough, but a good life is long enough."<br /> <br /> Honored 2007