Edward "Kapena" Hill

Much of Hawaiian culture is rooted in honoring the land, ocean and sky, giving back more than we take and trusting that balance will carry its peoples forward. A similar principle is shared among emergency medical services (EMS) professionals, especially Edward “Kapena” Hill, who selflessly delivers care from both the ground and the air.

A Hawaiian native himself, Kapena—as Edward is known locally—has worked in the emergency medical services (EMS) industry for 34 years; 32 of those have been for Global Medical Response brands including three different AMR ground operations, REACH 48 in Maui and Hawaii Life Flight.

In 1994, he began as an EMT at AMR Maui. In 1998, he became a paramedic. Since then, no matter which location he supported, he's always been a paramedic even with AMR Maui, which is where he currently works. When his feet are on the ground, that is. When airborne, he serves as a flight paramedic for REACH 48 as well as its operations base leader.

Such a varied mix of professional experience has allowed Kapena to span nearly every corner of prehospital care. From assessing patients’ conditions in flight—aboard fixed- and rotor-wing aircraft—to performing life-saving interventions from the back of an ambulance, he’s truly seen and done it all.

Yet, for aspiring EMS professionals, his advice is simple: set goals and work hard to meet them, because you never know what lies ahead. Kapena fondly recalls, “I accidentally found myself in EMS while going through the application process to become a police officer here on Maui. I found it very interesting and decided to do EMS instead.”

Kapena’s pivot from becoming a police officer didn’t hold him back from achieving success. Listening to his heart and having faith in what was most important to him, he discovered setting a good example by being an active member of each operation and his island community was all he needed to achieve success.

“Remember where you came from and the struggles you faced. Do this, and you will be taught empathy and many other interpersonal and clinical skills; ones that I continue to utilize no matter where I am. Then, take your experience and knowledge and pass it on to the generations that come after you.”

With that, here’s one final example of how Kapena genuinely practices his beliefs: he is especially thankful to work alongside his daughter, another paramedic in Maui, and to her, he says, “I am very proud of you, and everything you do.”

May we all be fortunate enough to seek, find and personify our lifelong callings just like Kapena has within EMS.