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The last two items on theĀ Brady City Council Agenda for Tuesday, June 3, 2014 merit close citizen attention. They will affect the way Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance transportation is delivered in Brady and McCulloch County.

Citizens in Brady and McCulloch County have enjoyed excellent EMS services for the past few years since the present system was put into place. Any changes should be considered very carefully. Not only are large sums of public money involved, EMS services can mean the difference between life and death in emergency situations.

Item F on the agenda is about a request from "Service Organization of the Big Country" to cancel the Interlocal Cooperation Agreement (Ordinance 1011, passed in 2007) for providing local emergency medical services. The original contract was between the City of Brady and "Heart of Texas Memorial Hospital District". It was assigned to "Service Organization of Concho Valley" in 2009 and again reassigned in 2013 to "Service Organization of the Big Country".

Cancellation of this agreement might significantly alter the financial viability of the current EMS services offered by the City of Brady. Other than rumor unsubstantiated by legal documents, it is unclear exactly who would provide EMS in McCulloch County in the future.

Item G on the agenda is a proposal to add regulations governing EMS (Ordinance 1155) to set high standards for 911 emergency service in Brady and McCulloch County, no matter who runs it.

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Created: 02 June 2014