TYLER, TX (KLTV) -
Just
moments after the explosion at the fertilizer plant in West on Wednesday, ETMC
dispatchers in Tyler were sending ambulances to the scene.
ETMC
received a call for help from West EMS shortly after 7:45 p.m. Thirteen minutes
later, the first of fifteen ETMC ambulances arrived.
ETMC also
had up to four dispatchers at a time dedicated only to coordinating emergency
response in West. During the chaos, the dispatchers were able to respond to and
transport over 100 of the injured, all from their communications center in
Tyler.
"Because of the resources we have in the Waco
area already, we were ready to go for events like this," said ETMC EMS
Communications Manager Chad Richey. "We train for mass casualties in all forms,
whether that's explosions such as this, downed aircraft, school shootings, or
school bus wrecks."
On a typical day, the ETMC EMS communication
center in Tyler coordinates 72 ambulances and 400 emergency responses across
17,000 square miles of Texas. Last night, they sent 15 of their ambulances to
West.
But Richey said it was just another day for
the dispatchers.
"ETMC EMS has done this for so long, it just
really is second nature," Richey said. "There's no real difficulty in coordinating
the events from here. In my opinion, it almost helps because we're not right
there in that community, so we kind of have a different point of view: I've got
a job to do, people need help, let's send them help."
ETMC says they are currently the primary
responding units for any emergency in West. They also still have one dispatcher
dedicated only to calls from the area.
ETMC EMS Communications Center in Tyler
