Carrollton Fire Chief outlines staffing, fleet upgrades and new EMS strategies

Chief Michael Thompson, Carrollton Fire Rescue: "We ran a total of 15,779 calls for service last year," he told the City Council during a Feb. 4 work session. "Of that, 10,235 were EMS calls, which was a 3% increase over 2023." Thompson said the department completed nearly 9,000 hours of EMS continuing education and almost 65,000 hours of fire training in 2024.

The department has focused on replacing aging apparatus and changing deployment. Thompson said four new ambulances have been placed in service, two more are on order, and a new tiller truck and four new engines will come into service over the next few weeks. He said the average age of the heavy fleet dropped from about 10 years to 3 years after recent replacements.

Why it matters: The changes are meant to reduce maintenance downtime, improve response capacity and align staffing and tools with rising EMS demand. Thompson framed the shift as both an operational and wellness move: adoption of the 48/96 shift is being monitored as a possible permanent schedule, and new deployment models aim to reduce unnecessary lights-and‑sirens responses.

Key details and initiatives

- Response totals and times: Thompson reported 10,235 EMS calls (up 3% from 2023) and 5,544 fire calls. He said the average EMS response time is 36 seconds for call processing/dispatch metrics and 5 minutes, 21 seconds for fire responses.

- Fleet and facilities: Thompson described a 10‑year depreciation schedule and an approved purposeful reserve program that enabled faster replacement of frontline units. Station 6 design and a Station 5 needs assessment are under way; Station 7 bathroom remodels were approved in this year’s budget.

- EMS deployment changes: The department added determinant dispatch codes (about 30 EMS nature codes in phase 1) to allow ambulances to respond independently to selected low-acuity calls, and is pursuing a phase 2 partnership with North Texas partner agencies for fuller determinant dispatching.

- Specialty units and staffing: Carrollton has created an EMS squad concept, assigned apparatus operators to ambulances, and is developing a shift‑level EMS captain role to focus on QA/QI, narcotics distribution, training, and documentation. Thompson said a hybrid grant and city support helped 22 employees complete paramedic school in the last year.

- Community paramedic program: The department is designing a community paramedic model to identify high-utilizers of 911 and connect them to social services; Thompson said the program will require hospital and payer partners to be financially sustainable and could target “about a thousand calls a year” contributed by repeat callers.

- Regional response and training: Carrollton has formed North and South battalions to improve span of control, is building a TIFMAS deployable team for out‑of‑area incidents, and continues swift‑water and complex rescue training with regional partners.

Council reaction and follow-up

Council members asked about maintenance practices, the timeline for future fleet contracting work and the community paramedic program’s expected impact. Thompson said staff will return with more detailed materials on fleet maintenance contracting and that the city expects to award a new fleet contract after a planned RFP process in 2026.

Ending

Thompson urged continued council support for training, replacement schedules and partnerships to sustain response levels as EMS demand grows. "We need to be smarter," he said, describing the department’s move to targeted dispatching and diversified response resources.