Public Safety Commission hears updates on APD staffing, wildfire readiness and EMS simulation lab

On Monday, the Public Safety Commission heard a quarterly report from the Austin Police Department, an update on wildfire readiness from the Austin Fire Department, a briefing on the Austin-Travis County EMS Simulation Lab, plus an update on the 2026 bond package. 

APD Chief of Staff Robin Henderson kicked off the presentations. After serving as interim chief of police, Henderson has agreed to return to her former role as chief of staff for an unspecified amount of time to help with new Chief Lisa Davis’ transition.

Henderson outlined APD’s Enhanced Service and Visibility Initiative on Sixth Street. A group of detectives has been reallocated to be part of the Downtown Austin Rapid Response Team (DARRT). APD is also working with other city departments to enhance lighting downtown. They will be engaging with business owners to address other safety challenges in the area.

The department plans to reopen primary lanes of westbound traffic on Sixth Street over the weekends (although streets will still be closed to traffic once a certain pedestrian capacity is triggered). Southbound crossover streets will remain closed. APD is also temporarily widening pedestrian areas on Sixth Street. The DWI unit is being hired on an overtime basis for some weekends to focus on the downtown area while APD is piloting these changes.

Henderson described Davis’ approach to public safety as “holistic,” noting that APD had been partnering with Austin-Travis County EMS and Integral Care on a Downtown Mental Health Pilot Program. The program will track outcomes including use of force, diversion from jail and other metrics from City Council’s recent mental health-related resolution.

Henderson also provided updates on APD’s recruitment and retention efforts.

“We are facing a staffing crisis, still, when it comes to our sworn staffing,” she said. Henderson noted that APD has engaged in an ongoing analysis of its workload to examine more efficient ways to staff and respond to calls for service.

Recently, nonsworn staffing has improved somewhat (city leaders raised concerns several years ago about the dangerous vacancy rate at the 911 call center).

“Right now we are sitting at approximately 340 vacancies” overall, Henderson said. “With our professional staff, we only have a … 9 to 10 percent vacancy rate. And then with our emergency communications … we only have nine vacancies of the 223 positions … so that is a dramatic improvement and turnaround that we had in the last year and a half.”

Henderson emphasized that there are still high vacancy rates (averaging near 25 percent) for patrol sectors around the city, but highlighted APD’s ongoing cadet class, and the next two scheduled classes, as steps toward addressing these.

Cadet recruitment is “moving along at a healthy place,” she said. “Now that we have our contract in place, our applications have gone up … tremendously.”

Next, the commission heard an update on the 2026 bond. While this update was mandated by the community engagement process for the bond, the main focus was the timeline and metrics for each department to identify investment priorities, rather than specific investments.

City Council approved the resolution to move forward with the bond last year. In the summer of 2026, Council is expected to vote to place the bond on the ballot, with an election following in November. Council members and commissioners will hear more in-depth presentations on the actual bond investments during the first half of 2026.

AFD Division Chief Carrie Stewart provided a biannual update on the city’s wildfire readiness efforts. The Wildfire Division is working with neighborhoods and communities to complete Community Wildfire Protection Plans, called CWPPs.

“Of the 14 percent of Austin that’s classified as ‘high risk’ for wildfire events, 51 percent is (now) covered by a local CWPP and 49 percent are still areas of opportunity for us,” Stewart said.

Stewart highlighted the Wildfire Division’s ongoing trainings and fuel mitigation activities.

“Our Wildfire Battalion was recently expanded to eight stations that bracket the city,” she said.

AFD has also ramped up its community engagement efforts, sending Council members regular data on the participation they’ve had within each Council district. The Wildfire Division has completed nearly 200 home assessments for wildfire risk (you can request a home assessment via Austin’s online Widlfire Hub or by calling 311).

Commission Chair Nelly Paulina Ramírez asked about the lower rates of certified “Firewise” communities in Council districts 1 and 3.

“We are looking for ways to engage more of the city and the Eastern Crescent,” Stewart said. She added that AFD has been working with GAVA, Austin Public Health and Austin Homeland Security and Emergency Management to coordinate outreach.

Stewart said 24 communities citywide had completed their CWPPs and become “Firewise” with 22 others having initiated the process. She noted that not all communities must complete the designation in order to improve their preparedness.

“We recognize that not every community is going to want a Firewise destination or have the organization to be able to sustain that as well,” she said.

Heather Phillips, an assistant chief with Austin-Travis County EMS, delivered a briefing on the department’s new immersive training lab. ATCEMS opted for two portable trailers (the second trailer is in production now) over fixed classrooms for their simulation lab. The trailer setting will facilitate easier trainings and more partnership opportunities.

“We felt like this would be more viable to get to … all sides of the county, city, to train our staff, to train bystanders … (and for) joint training with our … public safety partners,” she said. Phillips added that the Simulation Lab is the first simulation trailer that the vendor, Echo Health, has built in the United States.

The lab incorporates virtual reality and high fidelity mannequins for higher-quality simulations. The department has been using it for scenarios with its new hire academy. Steward said it’s been particularly effective for on-duty ambulance training, as ATCEMS can avoid displacing actual ambulances to use for practice while running scenarios.

The trailer will also be used for community outreach events like CPR and “Stop the Bleed” trainings and collaborations with partner entities. ATCEMS has logged 316 lab hours so far.

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