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Sheriff’s Corner by Sheriff Kirby Brumby
The statement “all’s well that ends well” is an often used phrase. In the case of Wednesday night’s search, it did end well, but I don’t think all is well. An elderly woman who lives in Fannin wandered from her home. She was reported missing after her son tried to find her but was unsuccessful. Two deputies began the search. Fire Chief Alonzo Morales was contacted, and he called for search teams from the volunteer fire departments. Fannin, Goliad, and Schroeder departments all responded. Kim Fromme was also called to bring his bloodhound. The Fannin Volunteer Fire Department building was used as a staging area. EMS Director Peggy Fonseca joined the search but also had an ambulance in Fannin to be close at hand in order to give first aid and be available if the lady needed to be transported to the hospital.
After dividing into pairs, the teams began to search. The lady was found walking in a pasture not far from her house. This ended well. My concern (and the concern of many families who have an elderly family member who might wander and who are having memory problems) is that this could happen again to another elderly person in Goliad County and the outcome might be different.
After being contacted by several of you and after Wednesday’s scare, I have talked to EMS Director Fonseca and Chief Morales about this type of situation. DeWitt County has received a grant to purchase bracelets/anklets for an elderly person whose family is concerned about them getting lost. The range to find them is ¼ to ½ mile. So this is not a solution for people who get in a car and drive off. The grant to DeWitt was for $7500 which purchased three directional finders and then local service clubs donated the bracelet/anklets which cost about $275 each. With the cooperation of EMS and the Fire Department, we are going to apply for such a grant. Then we will ask our local service organizations to help with the cost of the bracelets. What we need now is to know approximately how many families are interested in having such a device for a member of their family. Contact Ms. Fonseca, Chief Morales, or the Sheriff’s Office if you are interested in either receiving a bracelet/anklet or in donating one. |
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