CBS 11
COOKE COUNTY, Texas — Cooke County EMS near Denton covers about 900 square miles and most of it is rura. l“There are potential out there for things to occur,” says Kevin Grant Cooke County Emergency Medical Services Director. He’s talking about paramedics being put in dangerous situations when they respond to a scene where they may not know the person’s mental state.
Grant says his crews often respond to calls alone and are potentially vulnerable. State Representative Ken King from the Panhandle says the solution could be arming paramedics. If passed, King’s bill would allow EMS in counties with fewer than 50,000 people, like Cooke, to carry guns.
For me, I think that would be where I would look at this bill and go this makes sense when we are in the middle of nowhere,” says Grant, “and something occurs on scene.” Grant says if paramedics know they are going to a violent home then they usually wait for the sheriff’s department to secure the scene and then arrive.
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