CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Jim Wells County Judge Pete Trevino led a meeting of area county officials Thursday as they tried to figure out ways to better work together in responding to emergencies.
The meeting was spurred by a deadly trailer fire in Tecolote that killed 19-year-old Ignacio Gomez back in January.
Gomez's grandmother Maria Davila said the event is still fresh in her memory.
"He was paralyzed from head to toe. He was laying in the bed and we tried running in there, but the fire was coming out of his room," she said.
Davila told 3NEWS that despite her best efforts -- she was not able to save her grandson.
"We tried getting him out. We ran back-and-forth to try and get him out. We couldn't save him," she said.
County judges and law enforcement agencies met at the Alice Country Club to talk strategy. Jim Wells County Judge Pete Trevino said that prioritizing response times for first responders is paramount.
"We want to make sure we have staff and we have availability for our emergency services to get out there in reasonable times," he said.
Trevino wanted the group to brainstorm to come up with ideas for better communication between all first responders. Throughout South Texas many small communities like Tecolote sit perhaps 15-30 minutes from the nearest first responder.
Jim Wells County Sheriff Danny Bueno said that communication can help make the difference in saving someone's life.
"I think the end result of this meeting is going to be the fact that we are working together for solutions. Better service our constituents, better service our agencies and make sure we're responding in an accurate manner in which we can provide the best service available to them," he said.
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