Taylor County commissioners hold public hearing ahead of EMS selection

Tobin Smith
·2 min read

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Taylor County commissioners held a public hearing Tuesday to gain some public input on which organization should be in charge of emergency response across the county. Taylor County EMS has held the position for the last few years. Now, commissioners are considering some outside contenders.

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Three emergency medical service (EMS) organizations were considered by the county for the position. The two front runners for the post are Metro Care and Taylor County EMS.

MetroCare, a subsidiary of American Medical Response (AMR), runs ambulance services for the City of Abilene and covers most everything within city limits. Will Hendon, regional director for AMR, said the company’s corporate backing should not discourage the public from trusting MetroCare.

“It’s going to be exactly the way it is now with good folks taking care of good folks, and you can still look over your shoulder and expect that your friend is gonna be the person looking out for you,” assured Hendon.

During the meeting it was pointed out that current county emergency response provider, Taylor County EMS, doesn’t have the same advantage as a nonprofit organization as compared to that of its corporate-backed competitors. However, a representative said the service’s rapport with the Taylor County community speaks for itself.

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“The people that live in the county that rely on these services… They want Taylor County EMS to stay,” David Allman, executive director of Taylor County EMS, said.

Allman continued to explain before Tuesday’s meeting with county officials that Taylor County EMS goes the extra mile when it comes to taking care of the community, “We’re the ones providing your volunteer fire departments with training. We’re the ones that are out at the expo center standing by for West Texas Fair and Rodeo out on the fairgrounds voluntarily. We don’t get paid for that.”

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While the public hearing’s main subject was to determine which service would be take on the responsibility for emergency medical response across Taylor County, concerns were raised on adequate research and consideration involving the decision.

Those voiced concerns lead officials to table the subject so that more time could be taken for the consideration of this important position. The conversation will be reopened on Tuesday, April 23.

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