Travis County Commissioners Court
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 (Agenda)
Item 5
5. approve proclamation recognizing the retirement of mr. Jim allday, chief clinical supervisor in emergency services, star flight division.
>> thanks.
>> should we read the proclamation, mr. -- mr. Hobby?
>> yes, sir, that would be very appropriate.
>> it reads whereas mr. Jim allday has been an invaluable member of the Travis County star flight program since the program inception in 1985.
after retiring in 2008 with 30 years from the city of Austin e.m.s.
department jim continued his commitment to Travis County.
whereas jim has served as flight paramedic, swat medic, chief flight paramedic, flight nurse, chief clinical supervisor with an unwavering commitment to patient care and add advocacy.
jim represented Travis County on the following projects and work groups, there's a long list of 'em, start flight quality management committee chair, star flight Travis County e.m.s., star flight clinical direction committee chair, health care quality committee, Austin Travis County e.m.s., pediatric committee of the governor's e.m.s.
and trauma advisory council, seton medical center emergency department joint practice council, Austin Travis County e.m.s.
transition team, quality assurance, standards of care committee, Austin Travis County e.m.s., standing orders review team, Austin e.m.s., Austin Travis County e.m.s.
education committee, Travis County child fatality review team, Austin e.m.s.
seton medical center liaison team, alert critical incident stress management team, emergency department ethics panel, seton medical center, trauma committee, panel, brackenridge hospital, task force -- Texas task force one and I'm sure many, many others, whereas during his tenure with star flight, jim accumulated 2,392 flight hours, completed 8,598 landings, flew 221,520 naughtcal miles, transported 1,879 patients by helicopter, responded to 54 fires, 54 fire, 117 law enforcement and 179 search and rescue missions.
during these flights, the helicopters jim staffed burned 211417-gallons of fuel.
>> [laughter] and --
>> sorry.
>> thanks for not telling us what the cost per gallon was.
>> [laughter] and whereas jim's friends and colleagues will miss his mentoring, hard work, leadership and dedication to service on behalf of Travis County.
now therefore be it resolved that we the members of the Travis County Commissioners court do hereby extend special thanks to jim all day, mr. Jim allday for his years of dedicated service to Travis County and extend best wishes to him in all future endeavors.
I move approval.
>> second.
>> judge and Commissioners, I'm going to be very brief because I would like to turn it over to casey ping the program director for star flight as well as let jim say a few words.
it's been truly an honor.
I have known jim for many, many years.
some people are legends in their own mind.
but in regards to jim, he's a legend in everybody's minds because of all of the work that he's done and the dedication to his job.
but mostly to who he serves.
and that is our residents.
he has such a compassionate heart, so skilled.
as you have seen from all of the list of things that you have just read, he's one of a kind.
jim, you're truly going to be missed.
I've enjoyed working with you.
>> thank you.
>> thank you.
>> good morning, Commissioners and thank you for doing this.
the proclamation for jim.
we're also going to have an open house this afternoon at the hangar open to anybody that wants to come by from 4:00 to 6:00.
but I do think that it's worth mentioning that jim is the last original star flight member.
he was here when the program started in 1985.
and so this really has been a -- kind of a passing of the torch from a group that started the program and saw the vision, along with the court, of what star flight could be and -- and jim has been a great friend, a great employee, and his patient add advocacy and striving for clinical excellence is really unheralded.
we really are going to miss jim, his mark will be left on the program for some time.
>> thank you.
>> thank you.
>> well, it's -- I had the great fortune to be a part of the city of Austin e.m.s.
when Commissioner bob hunts and john murray with the Travis County e.m.s.
at the time and dennis simmons with the city of Austin e.m.s.
was trying to look at a way to better serve Travis County because at the time the county wasn't as built up and all of the e.m.s.
stations were in the city.
so the response times were very long and they came up with the concept of, you know, if we had a centrally located first response, als unit that could go to all of the different parts of the county, that maybe more economical at the time than putting ambulances in all of the different parts of the country.
so through that vision, we started this humble little program with a couple of smaller aircraft and then over the years with the guidance of the different directors of the program and with the Commissioners's assistance and blessings on a variety of issues, we are now the incredibly sophisticated one of a kind program really in the united states that does all of the different types of missions where on any given day the crews may go to a victim of an automobile accident, somebody that's having a heart attack, dropping water on a fire in oak hill, picking up people who are hanging on the top of their vehicles in a flooded stream, going to get the little premie baby as one of the rural hospitals and bringing them back into town.
the reason we can do all of those missions is because of the -- again the guidance of the leaders of the program through the years and with y'all's help in recognizing that it's a need of the community to have a program such as this.
it's been a real honor and privilege for me to start from that little beginning to the sophisticated program that it is today.
>> thanks so much for your service.
>> thank you.
>> I just want to say great programs are built on great foundations and thank for you the leadership that you have provided throughout the entirety.
>> thank you.
>> we're going to miss you.
>> and, ma'am, are you part of the allday family or the new star flight --
>> [laughter] -- member.
>> I'm so glad you brought that up.
thanks for point thank out to me.
probably one of the biggest people that I need to thank is my wife and my daughter who is not here, she's away up in new york city.
but she's known nothing but my life as an e.m.s.
employee.
so days of the week, time of day, holidays, she's had to deal with all of those where I'm not home.
and the middle of the night calls and the middle of the night we need you to come into work or on the holiday we need you to come into work.
without her support, I would not have been able to do this.
because it's really nice having that sanctuary to go home to a person that loves you and willing to listen to you talk about your day and sometimes the trouble of the day and recognize that despite how horrible sounding some of it might be, is willing to listen to that and provide comfort and support for you.
>> what are you going to do with him home all of the day?
>> [indiscernible]
>> thank you for many years of dedication and service.
>> thank you.
>> thank you.
>> all in favor?
that passes by unanimous vote.
thank you.
>> thank you.
>> [ applause ]
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