Despite a pandemic that still ravages parts of the country and in the face of hostile legislation from the state, Austin “has come through the many challenges of the past year in as good or better shape than any big city of America,” City Manager Spencer Cronk said Friday as he laid out city staffers’ […]
Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services
This organization provides emergency services to the region.
Posted inPublic Safety
Integral Care set to address most mental health emergency calls without involving APD
Last week, City Council approved an additional $1.3 million for the Integral Care-EMCOT program next fiscal year, increasing the budget for the Expanded Mobile Crisis Outreach Team by about 75 percent. With those extra dollars, Integral Care, the mental health authority for Travis County, plans to hire enough trained professionals to answer and respond to […]
Posted inBudget
Public Safety budget discussion wrestles with demands to defund APD
Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo gave the Public Safety Committee a public safety budget overview at its meeting on Monday. Much of the discussion centered around the Austin Police Department budget. Community members and some City Council members have demanded that a portion of the budget be reallocated to other city departments. “We have […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Public safety departments run modified cadet classes during pandemic
At the Public Safety Commission’s Monday meeting, Austin Police Department, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services and Austin Fire Department representatives discussed how cadet classes that were delayed due to Covid-19 (and other issues) will move forward. ATCEMS Chief of Staff Jasper Brown told the commission that the department had planned a set of oral interviews […]
Posted inEMS
Austin 911 operators effectively field calls, but audit finds gaps in dispatching overall
Operators field roughly a million calls for emergency services in Austin a year. A new city report says those operators do a serviceable job of answering that glut of calls, but found a disconnect between those calls and the delivery of crucial services. There are a lot of reasons for that, according to the Office […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Low morale in Austin’s public safety departments requires attention
The Public Safety Commission heard a variety of concerns at its Oct. 1 meeting in regards to the chronic low morale that public safety officers are experiencing within their respective departments. “It is pretty unanimous the officers are really getting tired of it,” said Commissioner Preston Tyree, who co-sponsored the discussion topic on the commission’s […]
Posted inEMS
City, EMS negotiators reach tentative deal
Labor negotiators for the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services Employee Association and the city of Austin have reached a tentative agreement. Council is scheduled to discuss the proposal today in executive session. Union President Tony Marquardt said union members have been voting on the contract and the polls will close this morning. If all goes […]
Posted inAustin
City budget boosts spending for homelessness services
The new city manager and City Council agree: The city needs more money to address the homelessness situation. The proposed Fiscal Year 2018-19 budget submitted by City Manager Spencer Cronk includes $3.1 million in new spending on homelessness-related services. That’s on top of the roughly $25 million of spending on such services that will continue […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Commission votes to expand Injury Prevention Program
In an effort to support the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Service’s efforts to reduce preventable injuries, the Public Safety Commission passed a motion to fund and expand the county’s Injury Prevention Program at its May 7 meeting. Lisa Sepulveda, Austin-Travis County EMS Community Service program manager, said the program provides education, training and resources to […]
Posted inEMS
As talks end, EMS union, city at stalemate
Unlike the unions for police officers and firefighters, the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services Employee Association could not reach an agreement with city of Austin management on Monday. Employees will continue to work under civil service rules, but there is no raise for them on the horizon. The union, led by its president, Tony Marquardt, […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Public safety agencies envision big staff increases
In presentations to the Public Safety Commission Monday, leaders of the Police Department, Fire Department and Emergency Management Services called for significantly boosting staff in the coming years, both to make up for existing shortages and to keep up with the city’s rapidly growing population. Jasper Brown, the assistant chief for Austin-Travis County EMS, told […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Voters to decide on new emergency services district in Southeast Travis County
Residents in Southeast Travis County will soon get to vote on a plan to shore up the financial health of their first responders. Last Tuesday, the Commissioners Court unanimously approved a petition to create Emergency Services District No. 15, a new taxing entity that officials are hoping to lay over the exact boundaries of Emergency […]