By Jayme Fraser
Houston Chronicle
FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas — Daniel Kosler stood in the yard as a Richmond teenager and junior firefighter, intrigued by the wailing sirens he heard across the river and the suburban ambulance he watched zip past.
“It’s almost as if I’m standing there today,” he said, reflecting on the moment that sparked his more than 40-year career with Fort Bend County’s ambulance service.
Kosler, who retired on Friday as director of emergency medical services, was among the first certified paramedics in the county and one of the longest serving members of the ambulance program created in 1972. Houston created the first in the region in 1968.
On Thursday, employees, family and friends gathered to celebrate his contributions to the county.
“He has been the backbone of EMS here in Fort Bend County,” said Dr. Mary desVignes-Kendrick, director of the county’s public health authority who oversees the EMS division. “Daniel is a very calm, reflective individual who not only looks at where the service is but looks at the history of what has gotten us to where we are now. “
In addition to being among the first ambulance services launched in the Houston region, Kosler saw the department grow from a few guys with first aid training dashing across the countryside into a professional paramedic service helping residents of an increasingly urban Fort Bend County.
“He dedicated his life to that department,” said Commissioner Richard Morrison.
Working many years and being involved in so much change within the ambulance service “included hiccups, as in any family,” Kosler chuckled. In recent years, he led the department through staffing and legal challenges, including a federal investigation and civil lawsuit by employees related to county miscalculations of overtime that resulted in paramedics being underpaid. Last year, he coordinated the creation of a new pay plan to stem significant and persistent turnover that left employees unable to use vacation time and led many to work thousands of extra hours. In January, commissioners approved that plan, which included an average raise of 22 percent.
In his final year, Kosler also oversaw the creation of two new programs. The county introduced a community paramedicine program, which sends paramedics on house calls to frequent EMS clients with the goal of helping them identify more proactive approaches to their health and keep ambulances focused on dire emergencies. The department also recently launched a paramedic apprentice program to train ambitious EMTs, who are paired with veterans for on-the-job feedback as they earn paramedic certifications.
Kosler repeatedly talked about the bonds he built with fellow paramedics and later as director when sharing memories from his career. Because of the 24-7 schedule and frequent overtime, paramedics often spend a third or more the year on the job, which Kosler noted is more than he spent with some of his closest friends outside work.
In the early days of the service, ambulances were parked at home. The two-man crews often slept over and shared meals at each other’s houses so they could quickly respond when they received a call for help.
On Tuesday, Kosler said he met a young recruit on his first day in the EMS service, following his father who has worked with the department 23 years.
“I’m certainly proud of the people we have here,” he said. “I’m only as good as the employees we have in the department. We have many professionals in our department whose goal is to provide the best care. We have over the years, I think, achieved that goal.”
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