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Kimble County EMS
Kimble
County Emergency medical Service (KCEMS) is located at 151
Hospital Drive in Junction, Texas and is the designated 911
provider for Kimble County. Additionally, through local
area service agreements and mutual aid agreements, KCEMS
serves portions of Kerr, Menard, Sutton, and Edwards
counties.
Prior to the formal organization of
KCEMS in
1980, ambulance service was provided by Aubrey Fife Funeral
Home. The first documented KCEMS ambulance run occurred on
July 29,1980 In its first full year of service, KCEMS
functioned as a basic Life Support (BLS) service, staffed
mainly by EMT-Basics and nurses provided by Kimble Hospital,
and made 203 ambulance runs with one ambulance and twelve
members. Some of those original members still serve
Junction and Kimble County today, either in health
care or some other capacity. Among them are Teena Hagood,
Ann Beth Caudle, Yolanda Sepeda, Rod Gardner, and
Steve Brown.
KCEMS has progressed to a BLS service with Mobile Intensive
Care Unit (MICU) capability operated by all levels of EMT's:
Basic, Intermediate, and Paramedic. To provide coverage
for its 1200 square mile service area, KCEMS staffs one
ambulance 24 hours per day, with a second ambulance for
transfers from Kimble Hospital to facilities outside Kimble
County on an as-needed basis, with a third ambulance for
backup.
To staff its ambulances, KCEMS employs one full-time
Director/Paramedic and an additional full-time Paramedic;
additional staffing is provided by part-time volunteers.
Currently, the service has three Paramedics, five EMT-Intermediates,
and two EMT-Basics with six members cross-trained in fire
suppression and rescue operations. Medical direction is
provided by Alberto Noe Martinez, M.D.
In the average year KCEMS responds to 370 911 calls in the
county and transports patients to hospitals outside Kimble
County 110 times. Additionally, the service provides
medical standby service at local events such as football
games and rodeos.
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