UMC EMS responds to County EMS issues

LUBBOCK, Texas – Almost 18 months ago, an advisory committee was created to look at the city’s emergency medical services system. It’s members are from each area hospital and Lubbock Fire Rescue.

These standards are intended to make Lubbock’s emergency medical services more modern, to accommodate every citizen. 

“Our community leaders I think did an excellent job developing standards by which any EMS provider should be evaluated, which insures quality, which insures safety, insures that folks get an ambulance when they need an ambulance and they get it in a reasonable amount of time or appropriate amount of time,” UMC Senior Vice President of Support Services said. 

In July of last year, UMC EMS rolled out medical priority dispatch. 

“This is where we began to triage our calls and send the appropriate response in the appropriate ambulance and appropriate time to a particular call, so we begin to prioritize the calls, for a priority one call which is a life threatening emergency situation our response time standard is 8 minutes 59 seconds,” Hill said.

Priority two requires a response within 11 minutes and 59 seconds and priority three, a second shy of 15 minutes. 

“We have to demonstrate back to the city that we are meeting or exceeding in order to continue to provide services for the city,” Hill said.  

As the city’s EMS provider, UMC is responsible for all calls within the city limits.

“We’ve historically had some county units that responded inside the city limits of Lubbock, they had to meet those same standards because they were not meeting those standards, they needed to move back outside of city limits,” Hill said. 

 Hill said response times vary between the two providers.

“So the city says that we are responsible for those calls and historically a county unit had responded inside of the city limits of Lubbock, so we went to them and asked them if they were interested in meeting those standards and at that time they indicated to me that they were not, that’s why I asked them to move outside the city limits,” Hill replied. 

West Carlisle EMS has been severely impacted by that directive.  Chief Tim Smith of that first responders service, disputes Hill’s claim.

“We felt we were meeting the mark, we felt that whatever measure we were not meeting we could meet or we could challenge ourselves to meet, however we were not given that opportunity. We were simply cut off,” Smith said.

Cut off from making emergency runs into the city.

“There are occasions where a county unit is asked to come into the city and that’s because they are the closest truck in that situation based on the distribution of vehicles within the city, there are also time though where we are responding out into the county to the city,” Hill said. 

 “There is an equal number of responses made by city based units into the county,” Hill said.

 “I want to make sure that everyone understands, if you call 9-1-1 within Lubbock County, if you are in the city or the county you will get an ambulance. No one will lose their ambulance services through this process or change. If you call 9-1-1 and you need an ambulance we will send an ambulance,” Hill said. 

UMC units respond on average to about 40 thousand calls and 12 thousand are outside city limits. The calls are expensive, UMC EMS estimates it operates at a four million dollar loss yearly. 

Teen crashes peak during summer months

LUBBOCK, Texas – Summer break is a busy time for teen driving and over the past five years, more than 5,000 victims have been killed in crashes involving teens.

Lubbock resident Jackson Hisel, 16, said playing race car video games growing up made him anxious for the real chance to get behind the wheel. He is now one of the newest drivers on the road after acquiring his drivers license just a few months ago.

“Now that you can do it on your own its like a weight of your shoulders, I mean the only thing you have to worry about is gas,” said Hisel.  

Jackson said although he is excited to be driving there is still that sense of fear.

“I’ve always had a fear, especially when I’m driving with friends,” Jackson said, “because I feel like they are putting their life in my hands a little bit.”

A research study conducted by the AAA foundation found that 60 percent of teen crashes are caused due to distractions. The 100 deadliest days on the road are during the summer months right after Memorial Day. 

“Some of the reasons why are because your kids are not in school,” said Lieutenant Bryan Witts with the Texas Department of Public Safety. “Your teens are out driving more. They have their friends in the vehicles and there are a lot of distractions in the vehicle that are causing a lot of these crashes.”

 Jackson’s mother Carrie Hisel has established strict rules now that her son is allowed to drive. 

“Call us when you get there, make sure you obey all of the rules and if you leave the location call us and tell us where you are at every time you leave so that we know and just check-in frequently,” Carrie said. 

Jackson said he keeps in mind several things before he takes off and drives.

“Don’t be on my phone, don’t text, make sure I check in when I get some where, make sure I am constantly checking in and they know what is going on,” Jackson said. “Pretty much being safe, they do a lot to keep me safe.”

Lubbock lawmakers discuss Senate Bill 4

LUBBOCK, Texas – Lubbock lawmakers and ag producers convened to recap the legislative session

Senator Charles Perry addressed his own SB4 bill which is circulating in the lower court system.

He said he expected it will go to the Fifth Circuit Court.

“The Attorney General’s Office says this is one of those winnable no-brainers on the front end kind of attitude,” Perry said, “because it didn’t create new law it just says apply the immigration law that’s in there partner and cooperate with our federal partners on this issue, you don’t get the luxury as a local official to decide when you do that.”

According to Perry, the SB4 legislation, despite dealing with backlash and protests in parts of the state  could still see success.

Clarification on the Trump administration’s revived travel ban 

The guidelines are getting clearer on a travel ban partially restored by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Trump administration has set new criteria for visa applicants from six mainly Muslim nations and all refugees that require a “close” family or business tie to the United States. The move comes after the court partially restored President Donald Trump’s executive order that was widely criticized as a ban on Muslims.

Visas that have already been approved will not be revoked.

But instructions issued by the State Department on Wednesday said that new applicants from Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Iran and Yemen must prove a relationship with a parent, spouse, child, adult son or daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law or sibling already in the United States to be eligible. The same requirement, with some exceptions, holds for would-be refugees from all nations that are still awaiting approval for admission to the U.S.

Australian police charge Vatican cardinal with sex offenses

SYDNEY (AP) – Australian police say they are charging a top Vatican cardinal with historical sexual assault offenses.

Cardinal George Pell is Pope Francis’ chief financial adviser and Australia’s most senior Catholic. He has now become the highest-ranking Vatican official to ever be charged in the church’s long-running sexual abuse scandal.

Victoria state Police Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said on Thursday that police have summonsed Pell to Australia to face multiple charges related to “historic sexual offenses.” Patton says there are multiple complainants against Pell. He gave no further details about the allegations.

Pell has repeatedly denied all abuse allegations against him.

The Vatican spokesman says Pope Francis has appreciated Cardinal George Pell’s honesty and commitment during his three years working to reform the Vatican’s finances.

In a statement read to reporters Thursday, spokesman Greg Burke recalled that Pell has “openly and repeatedly condemned as immoral and intolerable” acts of sexual abuse against minors.

He noted that Pell has cooperated with Australia’s Royal Commission investigation into sex abuse and that as a bishop in Australia, worked to protect children and compensate victims.

The statement said the Holy See had learned “with regret” of the charges and that Francis had granted Pell a leave of absence to defend himself.