Named in honor of the TAA' s first President and long time ambulance provider and advocate, the goal of the award is to recognize ambulance providers that go “above and beyond the call of duty”. 

Any ambulance provider that operates in Texas is eligible to be nominated  and anyone can nominate a provider. A TAA  award committee reviews the nominations with the presentation of the award made during the annual conference in South Padre Island.

In selecting whom the award committee will recommend for the award,  the committee uses the below criteria:

The nominee should be able to demonstrate their:

  compassion towards patients, families, and employees
  willingness to do things that will not show them any return
   "Above & Beyond the Call of Duty" mentality
  willingness to cooperate with other providers for the good of patients
  willingness to improve the overall image of the industry

In addition, to the above, nominees are rated on their overall attitude, compassion and humanitarian characteristics and traits of goodwill.

By Joe Huffman

(originally printed in August 2000)    Mr. Joe B. Brown died last month while conducting a funeral service in Waco, Texas.  We at the Texas Ambulance Association mourn the passing of this man who held such an important part in the development of our association.  The Texas Ambulance Association’s annual award for service owners or providers that go “beyond the call of duty” is aptly named the Joe B. Brown Humanitarian award.  Joe’s passing gave me an opportunity to reflect on his life of service.

I had the opportunity to interview Joe Brown when the Texas Ambulance Association asked his permission to use his name on our service award.  I remember Joe was honored and humbled at the possibility of our using his name on this prestigious award.  During the interview we had a chance to talk about Joe and his contributions to our industry.

In the early 70’s Joe Brown worked for Ray Crowder Funeral Home which had the  ambulance contract for the City of Fort Worth.  Joe was responsible for many of the improvements that the system saw during that time period.  Joe was instrumental in Ray Crowder’s use of Type 1 ambulances as paramedics became a reality for professional EMS in the city.  Later Joe started his own funeral home and ambulance service called Meissner- Brown, which quickly grew to provide ambulance service in several suburban areas around Fort Worth.  Joe would eventually sell his ambulance company in 1988 as the Public Utility Model system took hold in the Fort Worth area.

Early in the 1980’s during a Las Vegas American Ambulance Association meeting Joe was impressed with a Medicare consultant that was speaking there.  He approached the speaker and asked what it would cost to have the consultant ask for an increase from the Texas carrier.  The fee was $600 and Joe approached other providers in Texas to chip in $125 each to begin the process.  Those early discussions among Texas providers became the foundation of the Texas Ambulance Association we know today.

Joe B. Brown served on the board of the TAA and was also a  member of the American Ambulance Association’s Board of Directors.  He was a member and President of the Texas Funeral Home Association and a member of the National Funeral Association.

Although, I was saddened to hear of Joe B. Brown’s passing I was not surprised to learn it occurred while he was in the service of others in need as he always seemed to be.

The Texas Ambulance Association Board of Directors voted unanimously to posthumously award the 2000  Joe B. Brown Humanity Award, to Joe B. Brown himself.

2003
Ms. Belinda Richter
Fayette County EMS

2004
Ms. Rose Marie Solalinde
METRO Ambulance
San Antonio