Texas Stock Show Keeps EMS Station Staffed

Jan. 24--FORT WORTH -- The exam table sits in the middle of a room. Inhalers are on shelves near the boxes of plastic bandages. And the bottles of medicine are on shelves against a wall.

It looks like any other emergency medical care office in North Texas.

But it's far from it.

The first aid station in the Will Rogers Coliseum is tucked away underneath the balcony of Section K, just steps away from the Fort Worth Stock Show and hundreds of visitors.

"For those who come in, their day is not going the best," said nurse Theresa Harbour of Fort Worth. "Everyone seems appreciative that we are here."

Years ago, the station treated cowboys and cowgirls who were injured in the rodeo, but they are now seen by a team from Justin Sportsmedicine in the Coliseum.

"We now see the workers and visitors here," said Russ Grunewald, Stock Show manager of safety and first aid. "That pretty much means colds and people with allergy problems."

And it can get busy, especially when warm weekend weather helps bring the crowds. The Stock Show had 135,670 visitors Saturday and 93,600 Sunday.

The first aid station, open from 9 a.m. through the last rodeo performance, had 48 patients Saturday and 36 Sunday.

"Coughs, headaches, toothaches, you name it, we'll see it," said Harbour, a part-time school nurse. "For something real serious, we'll call the paramedics who are on the grounds."

Harbour is one of six nurses who work the 23-day Stock Show, along with doctors who are there during all rodeo performances. She has nine shifts during the event.

"I just work days," she said. "I have two basketball players to watch in the evenings."

Treatment at the first aid station is free, but a sign on a wall does point out that it is not a substitute for treatment by a physician.

"I had someone with a splinter the other day," Harbour said. "And last year I had this girl who had twisted her ankle and couldn't get [her boot] off because it had swollen, so I had to call the paramedics to help me. She didn't want us to cut the boot."

Stock Show employee Darlene Edwards is just happy that the first aid station is open. She has been a visitor since opening day because of a toothache.

"It's been pretty good for me that this has been here," Edwards said Monday. "This will be my last day because I've got some medications now. They're probably tired of me eating all of their pills."

Domingo Ramirez Jr.,

817-390-7763

Twitter: @stcrime

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