EMS looking forward to moving into new home

ABOVE: An artist's concept of what the new Willacy EMS building on South 7th St. will look like when finished in late July. The $700,000 project is being financed by a grant from the Kleberg Foundation and a bank note. Below: The current state of construction/remodeling in a photo taken Tuesday afternoon. The building was once occupied by automobile dealers and most recently was the home of a video rental store. It will provide four times the space of the current EMS building on East Hidalgo Ave. There's nothing wrong with the Willacy County EMS building -- except for a lack of space to accomodate growth.

That's why the EMS is making a $700,000 investment in the future by moving from East Hidalgo Ave. to South 7th Street in Raymondville,

Remodeling of the 16,000 sq. ft. building that most recently housed the Video Depot movie rental store will give the EMS four times the space they now have in a building that once was home to the Gonzales Firestone tire store.

The new home of the EMS also has a distinct automotive heritage. It first was the Gus Garret Motors back in the 1960s and was later home to Brown-Haynes Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge before they moved out to the Expressway after the new highway bypassed downtown.

Frost Bank is financing the remodeling at "a very attractive non-profit rate," according to Frank Torres, EMS director and Raymondville fire chief.

Remodeling should be finished on July 20 and the EMS will be moving in on the weekend of August 1, Torres said. The deal was made possible by a $200,000 grant from the Kleberg Foundation and a $200,000 mortgage.

Torres expects to sell the building they now occupy on Hidalgo Ave., hopefully, for enough money to square the deal. The EMS is also accepting donations from private individuals and will hold two fundraisers later this year, a barbecue and a golf tournament, he said.

What will $700,000 pay for?

Enough space to provide 12 dorm rooms to serve as sleeping quarters for personnel, some are on call 24 hours a day, an emergency operations classroom capable of providing meeting space for hurricane emergency planning.

And the building will offer covered parking for all employees and volunteers. At present two of the seven ambulances are parked outside overnight due to a lack of space inside the EMS garage.

The Command Center will provide space for radio, telephone, satellite encripted services as required by Homeland Security.

Willacy EMS has a hazmat trailer for handling chemical spills, gasoline spills, or any other type of liquid of solid dangerous materials.

In addition, Raymondville and Weslaco are the Rio Grande Valley's two designated communities to provide supplies needed anywhere in the Rio Grande Valley in case of multiple injuries caused by storms, fires, or airplane crashes.

And the Communications trailer can provide an instant backup system for the sheriff, police department, fire and the EMS in case of power failure from natural disasters or even terrorist activities.

The Willacy EMS has been in operation for 37 years and in addition to ground transportation to Valley Baptist Medical Center, or Harlingen Medical Center, The Valley Air Care helicoptor provides fast service in cases of life threatening injuries or illness.

Willacy EMS does a great job for the county with 36 paid personnel, including 14 param- edics, 16 emergency medical technicians and 6 intermediates.

They serve a larqe area from Sebastian on the south to the Sarita Border Patrol Checkpoint on the north; from Port Mansfield on the east to the Hidalgo County line on the west.

Willacy EMS is a member of the Regional Response Team and responds on request to emergencies in other areas. For instance in 2008 before hurricanes Gustaf and Ike the local EMS dispatched two ambulance crews to Beaumont and Galveston to help evacuate individuals from the impending storm areas to safety.

So, during national EMS Week it is an appropriate time for all county residents to expess thair gratitude and appreciation to Frank Torres and his unsung heroes of the Willacy EMS.