Copyright 2006 The Daily Oklahoman
By JENNIFER MOCK
The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City)
A tribute to emergency service personnel Tuesday struck a somber chord as state leaders honored one firefighter who died in the line of duty earlier this year.
Destry Horton, 32, a Chickasha firefighter, died in March of severe burns. March 1, he gave up his day off to help volunteer firefighters. He and a Rush Springs colleague entered a smoke-filled area near Duncan, where their fire truck became stuck.
Horton suffered burns to about 50 percent of his body but lived 23 days longer than most doctors expected.
Horton’s family, including his widow, Brandy, and their two young daughters, accepted a certificate of appreciation for Destry Horton’s service to the state. They were joined by more than 100 other emergency responders in honor of Emergency Medical Services Week as declared by Gov. Brad Henry.
“This is an honor. Destry loved (Emergency Medical Services) work. It was just about his favorite thing,” Jeri Thomas, Horton’s mother, said through tears. “He helped save a lot of lives. EMS people do not make much money and do not get much recognition.”
Oklahoma Public Safety Commissioner Kevin Ward talked about the services emergency responders provide to the state and urged onlooking lawmakers to increase funding for programs and staff. He said there are 6,000 emergency medical technicians across the state, many of whom are paid an average of $22,000 a year.
Many in rural Oklahoma depend solely on volunteers, and Ward also warned that those giving their time are decreasing at a time when services are needed more than ever as the state’s population ages.
“The funding is not all there. You don’t have all the resources you need,” he told the crowd at the Capitol, who sat by as emergency helicopters did a fly-by.
He said some success in the field has been seen, including a driver’s license fee to help pay for some services, an increase in the number of emergency helicopters and the placement of 600 automatic defibrillators in smaller communities to account for slower response time in rural areas.
Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove and the House’s lone doctor, commended the emergency workers, saying they have saved more lives in the field than he has saved in the hospital. Emergency responders across the state also were honored for their contributions to the recovery efforts in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita last fall.