Guardian EMS continues to help keep the community safe by giving back, this time with first aid bags given to the Brown County Sheriff’s Department.

At Monday’s meeting of the Brown County Commissioners Court, Guardian EMS Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Ross Bradley announced the donations to BCSO and other law enforcement agencies including Brownwood Police, Bangs Police, and Brown County Water Improvement District Lake Patrol Officers at Lake Brownwood.

Guardian EMS put together 70 of these first aid bags for law enforcement in Brown County.  According to Bradley, the bags contain basic first aid supplies, to enable officers to start first aid at motor vehicle accidents, shootings, or other incidents where it may take a few minutes before ambulance crews are able to reach the scene or possibly to treat minor injuries which do not require an ambulance to be called.  Bradley stated that officers can stop by Guardian EMS stations to replenish supplies from the bags as they are needed.

Brown County Sheriff Bobby Grubbs is pictured above right with Bradley, accepting the donation of 24 bags for BCSO.

“Guardian has gone out of the way to work with us for years, we appreciate this very much,” stated Grubbs.

County Judge Ray West also thanked Bradley for the donation as well, “That is an admirable gesture and will be very useful.”

Bradley explained that Guardian EMS likes to give back to the community, to be a part of the community and not just a provider of services.  He also explained that by equipping law enforcement with these supplies, it helps his ambulance crews get the patients transported more efficiently.

Guardian EMS recently developed an EKG screening program with student athletes in the area to check for heart abnormalities which could cause sudden cardiac death.  These screenings were provided at the beginning of the school year (at no cost to the student family or school) and Bradley reported that approximately 1500 screenings were conducted with just one abnormality which required a consultation with a cardiologist.  After the consultation, the abnormality was found to be congenital and would not keep the athlete from participating in sports; however, it did make his family aware of the abnormality, according to Ross.

In other matters on Monday’s agenda:

*Commissioners did not instate a burn ban.

*Commissioner Precinct 1 Gary Worley received approval of his request to limit the speed on portions of Stephen F. Austin that are in the county to 40 mph.  This new speed limit will take effect once the signs are installed.

Within the Brownwood city limits, Stephen F. Austin has a posted speed of 30 mph.

*Commissioner Precinct 4 Larry Traweek received approval for the installation of a private water line along the bar ditch of County Road 164 to county specifications.

*Myrna Wright of the Zephyr Community Historical Association received approval of relocating the Blanket Creek Bridge historical marker, which designates the historical location of the original community of Zephyr, to the intersection of County Road 306 and FM 590.  The move has been approved by the Brown County Historical Society and is being made due to the original marker being stolen less than 30 days after its initial installation according to Wright.  The new marker has been received and is ready to be installed at a later date to be announced.

*The Brown County Juvenile Detention Center received approval for the expenditure of $7350.00 from the Juvenile Budget from building maintenance to install 16 cameras and a monitoring system for the center.  According to Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Lisa Ritter of the Juvenile Justice Center and Judge West, the new system will help protect the staff and students at the facility as well as reduce county liability at the facility.