BRENHAM FIRE, POLICE CHIEFS SPEAK ON PROPOSED BFD POLICY ALLOWING RESPONSE TO ALL CRASHES ON MAJOR CITY ROADS
The heads of the Brenham Fire and Police Departments have provided their input on a newly proposed fire department policy that would allow firefighters to respond to all crashes on major city roads.
The Brenham Fire Department (BFD) is working on creating a policy that would allow it to respond to crashes without entrapment on major roads within city limits, or where the Brenham Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency. The proposal was criticized by several members of the Washington County Commissioners Court Tuesday.
The roads being referred to in the policy include: Highway 290 East and West, along with feeder roads; Business 290, including Market, Main, and Alamo Streets; Highway 36 North and South; Business 36, including North Park, South Austin, and South Day Streets; Highway 105; Business 105, including Chappell Hill Street; and Blue Bell Road.
Brenham Fire Chief Ricky Boeker said the proposal is strictly focused on protecting first responders at the scene of an accident.
According to Boeker, who cited statistics from www.respondersafety.com, 44 first responders, including law enforcement, EMS, fire, or tow truck drivers, were killed in 2019 in instances where they were hit by a car at the scene of an accident. Boeker could not recall instances like these occurring in Brenham any time recently, but he said there have been some close calls.
Boeker said the department is already called out to the scene for many of these accidents, but this policy would allow it to be dispatched earlier so it can provide any help needed sooner. He said many paid departments have already instituted policies like this, but the Brenham department—being largely volunteer based—has only recently been able to put much backing behind this effort and figure out proper departmental procedures.
Boeker does not believe this will put a strain on the department logistically or financially, saying the department’s responses will be those of one truck, not an entire fleet, and any supplies used to clean up accidents can be reimbursed. He also noted the department is not looking to be sent out to every accident within city limits.
Boeker does not quite understand where the county’s opposition is coming from, saying he and Brenham Police Chief Ron Parker recently met with Washington County EMS Director Kevin Deramus to discuss the proposal. He admitted while Deramus was not 100 percent sold on the idea, he told Boeker this is a department policy and that it was not for him to decide.
Parker, who began his time as Brenham Police Chief in March after serving in La Porte, said policies like these are very common in Harris County. He said he was approached by Boeker about the idea in April and is in support of it, adding that, in certain situations, it is “very appropriate and wise” to use fire engines for the purpose of protecting accident scenes.
Parker said the city and county emergency departments are all out to help one another, and when it comes to accident scenes, that means assisting the people onsite and getting the road cleared off. He, like Boeker, is unsure of the reasons for Washington County’s criticisms, saying they have not been a part of the discussion process.
Policy criticisms presented by county officials at Tuesday’s Commissioners Court meeting ranged from increased taxpayer expense, concerns about the safety of drivers, and potentially increased workloads for dispatchers.
Boeker said he is looking to get everything with the policy ironed out and ready to go for implementation June 1st. He said he does not believe the policy has to be approved by Brenham City Council, but will talk with City Manager James Fisher to make sure of anything else that needs to be done.