Dateline: August 7, 2003

EMS responds to high volume of calls

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Emergency medical personnel in Donley County were kept on their toes this past weekend as a steady stream of life-threatening calls came in.

Associated Ambulance Authority Director Anita Aaron said the first call came in shortly after 8 a.m. on Saturday, and she didn’t get home until 2 a.m. the next day.

“It was the busiest weekend this year,” Aaron said. “There was no time to eat or rest and no time to even fuel up the ambulances in two cases.”

During the two-day period, the ambulance service responded to 13 calls and transported 12 patients to facilities in Amarillo.

Three times the service ran out of ambulances, and first responder personnel went out on calls in personal vehicles to treat patients until one of the three ambulances could become available.

“I’m so proud of all our people,” Aaron said. “Our emergency personnel are first rate, and they really stepped up to the plate.”

Calls ranged from a car wreck to a skiing accident to an accidental shooting to respiratory problems. Most of the calls were very critical patients, and Aaron was happy to report that there were no fatalities this weekend.

The Associated Ambulance Authority, which operates under the Donley County Hospital District, has four full time medical personnel, two part time paramedics, and 25 volunteers from the community. The levels of participation and qualifications are much higher than other towns of similar size.

“I want the community to know just what a jewel we have in our paid and volunteer service,” Aaron said. “This is a good, good service, and every one worked really well together with the guys from the [Donley County] Sheriff’s Office, the [Greenbelt] Lake Patrol, and [Clarendon Volunteer] Fire Department.”

Aaron also commended the Claude EMS, which assisted the local service this weekend.

“They’re having trouble staffing their service, but they put together a team to help us.”

On top of responding to the emergency calls this weekend, the Associated Ambulance Authority also gave a hand to Gray County’s service, which had been scheduled to teach a bandaging and splinting course to thirty-five 4-H members at the Bar H Dude Ranch on Saturday. Gray County had to cancel, and local personnel filled in.

“The very nature of our people is to do these things because they want to help people,” Aaron said. “Most of these people don’t get paid, but they love Clarendon and Donley County and want everyone to be safe and cared for.”

The weekend was also busy for Donley County fire fighters with the Hedley Volunteer Fire Department battling a blaze in the northeast part of the county and the Clarendon department fighting fires on the JA Ranch.

“They were all grass fires caused by lighting,” said Clarendon Fire Chief Delbert Robertson. “It was a very busy weekend.”

Approximately two dozen Clarendon firemen battled three fires on the JA and one near FM 1260 on Sunday. One of the JA fires re-ignited Monday,

Robertson said he estimated between one and one-half of a section was burned.

Hedley, Groom, and Memphis firefighters assisted Clarendon with the weekend blazes.