Latest addition caps off overall efforts to improve emergency services throughout Walker County Emergency Service District #2
New Waverly, Tx February 13th, 2017
New Waverly Firefighters and representatives from Walker County Emergency Service District #2 were in Commissioner’s Court this morning to highlight their latest efforts aimed at providing better Emergency Medical Services in the New Waverly and Phelps Communities.
The Emergency Service District recently purchased a new MICU Ambulance, or Mobile Intensive Care unit, to replace the current Walker County unit stationed in New Waverly. The new MICU is part of a cooperative effort between the ESD and Walker County, with the County providing the crew to staff the ambulance purchased by the ESD. ESD 2 Board President Brandon Decker called the purchase of the new unit a symbol of the board’s commitment to maintaining quality emergency services for District residents.
New Waverly Fire Chief Jacob Slott pointed out that the majority of the Department’s emergency calls are for medical or trauma emergencies and motor vehicle accidents. Just last year, New Waverly Firefighters responded to over 1000 emergency incidents, and those numbers continue to rise each year. In 2016, 500 911 calls were for medical and trauma emergencies, while an additional 150 responses were for motor vehicle accidents and rescue calls.
In addition to the Walker County EMS crew stationed in New Waverly, the Fire Department has traditionally been staffed with trained Firefighter / EMTs to assist the EMS unit and act as primary caregivers when the EMS unit was away on other calls. In 2016, the New Waverly Fire Department began recruiting firefighters cross trained as Paramedics to work around the clock, equipped and trained to provide advanced life support services, even when the New Waverly ambulance is not available. In cases where the New Waverly EMS unit is unavailable, the New Waverly FF Paramedics can begin advanced medical care immediately instead of waiting for a second ambulance to respond from Huntsville.
Many of the New Waverly FF Paramedics work full time with other EMS services or the Houston Fire Department, and they bring a vast amount of experience and training to the ESD. Under an agreement with Walker County, New Waverly FF EMTs and Paramedics will continue to practice their skills and render care under the supervision of the Medical Director for Walker County EMS.
The benefits of this team approach were apparent this weekend, when a serious motorcycle accident on I-45 in New Waverly left a rider with critical injuries. Working together, Walker County and New Waverly Paramedics and EMTs were able to quickly stabilize the victim and initiate advance life support procedures before transferring him to a Lifeflight helicopter for transport to the Houston Medical Center.
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