Bexar County ESD 4 outlines growth plan, ambulance rollout and costs for Fair Oaks Ranch
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Summary
Emergency Service District 4 told the Fair Oaks Ranch council it is operating two 24/7 stations, has expanded personnel and equipment since 2020, started local ambulance service this year, and plans Station 135 and additional apparatus as development increases; ESD officials flagged uncertain ambulance reimbursement rates.
Representatives of Bexar County Emergency Service District 4 (ESD 4) briefed the Fair Oaks Ranch City Council on May 15 about station locations, fleet acquisitions, staffing growth, and the launch of in-district ambulance service.
"We like to think of ourselves as your fire department because we are," Commissioner Ron Hagood said as he described the district’s service to Fair Oaks Ranch. ESD 4 administrator Charles Lay Lawler and Chief Craig Ramon provided details on operations, equipment and funding.
ESD 4 operates two 24-hour stations (Station 132 on Ralph Fair Road and Station 134 off Boerne Stage Road) and reported that Fair Oaks Ranch accounts for roughly 25–30% of the district’s tone-outs. The district said EMS calls represent about 75–80% of its workload, with an average response time of 9 minutes, 13 seconds. ESD representatives said the district’s personnel count rose from one full‑time firefighter in 2020 to 38 full‑time staff in 2024 and that they have added a new station and vehicles since October 2021.
The district said it began internal ambulance operations earlier in 2025: ambulances placed in service in February 2024 (new ambulances) and a phase-in of ambulance service in the Fair Oaks Ranch area (ambulance operations kicked off in January 2025 and began serving Fair Oaks Ranch on April 1, 2025). ESD officials cautioned the council that insurer reimbursement rates are still being determined and that collection lag and typical reimbursement rates can be low: one speaker said a "fabulous rate of return" in larger Texas cities can be about 40 percent.
ESD 4 listed recent and planned capital purchases and costs: two new heavy rescue pumpers due in June, at $950,000 each; a ladder truck currently estimated at about $2 million with a 40‑month lead time; ambulances priced about $350,000 each; and brush-truck replacements at about $250,000 each. The district’s annual budget this year was reported at approximately $6.6 million.
Funding sources for ESD 4 include property tax (the ESD said it currently levies about 6 cents per $100 valuation, below the 10-cent statutory maximum) and sales tax, which the ESD said supplies roughly half of its revenues; the district noted Amazon is a significant sales-tax contributor. ESD officials also said they own property along Interstate 10 Eastbound access road and plan a Station 135 (a 16,000-square-foot, three-bay facility) to meet growth.
Council members questioned the district about the need for ladder trucks in Fair Oaks Ranch and about the fiscal effect of internal ambulance service. Chief Ramon said that larger single-family homes and new multi-story apartments have created demand in the city for ladder truck capability: "There would and is currently a need in Fair Oaks Ranch for the use of the ladder truck," he said. ESD officials told council the district will staff additional vehicles and stations "as funding permits."
