The union representing Austin emergency medical service workers won a partial victory last week when City Council voted to approve three new positions for the EMS call center. Three entry-level employees will be added to the center, and the department has agreed to try to fill three positions reserved for more experienced employees that it […]
Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services
This organization provides emergency services to the region.
Posted inEMS
Council delays decision on EMS staffing issues
City Council heard two competing narratives over a staffing shortage in the City of Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services communications and dispatch section of its discussion last week, as department management urged Council to approve an ordinance that would eliminate a midlevel employee classification so that some entry-level employees could fill positions currently reserved for […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: EMS staffing
Austin/Travis County EMS Chief of Staff Jasper Brown and EMS Employees Association head Anthony Marquardt join Austin Monitor reporter Tyler Whitson to discuss staffing issues faced by the agency. Program is embedded below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/221559935″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Posted inPublic Safety
Committee restarts discussion of fire and EMS merger
Members of the Public Safety Committee heard testimony Monday on the idea of merging the Austin Fire Department with Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services, but city staff and organization heads reiterated time and again that anything official is a long way off. Before a union of the two emergency bodies can even be considered, Austin/Travis County […]
Posted inAustin, EMS, Public Safety, Travis County
Suicides highlight rift between EMS staff, managers
A second suicide by an Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services first responder within the past seven months has heightened visible tensions between the department’s leadership and its employees. And while multiple EMS first responders took to Facebook earlier this month to blast the departmental leadership following the suicide of a medic, Austin-Travis County EMS Association […]