Austin-Travis County EMS reports staffing gains, expands 24-hour C4 operations

Austin-Travis County EMS told the Public Safety Commission on March 10 that authorized strength increased to 714 positions and that ongoing recruiting and academy activity is beginning to reduce vacancies.

Wes Hopkins, chief of staff for Austin-Travis County EMS, said the department’s authorized strength was 714 with 599 filled sworn positions, leaving a sworn vacancy of 115. “That puts us at our Q1 average of 16.73%,” Hopkins said. He told commissioners the department has recently run larger academy classes to increase frontline staffing and expects future quarters to show lower vacancy rates as recruits clear to two-person crews and independent duty.

The department described multiple academy classes in progress. Hopkins said a cadet class that began in October graduated in December (17 cadets) and an academy that began in January had 41 cadets with a mix of field medics, direct-hire clinical specialists and a communications medic. Hopkins said the department plans to run about three larger academies per year going forward, with the next academy slated to start in July 2025 with roughly 30 cadets.

Why it matters: EMS staffing levels affect ambulance availability and response times, particularly during major events and periods of high call volume.

In addition to hiring, Hopkins highlighted operational changes intended to keep ambulances in jurisdictional areas and improve coverage. The department opened Station 43 (Canyon Creek) and converted two 12-hour county-funded demand units in the Lakeway/Lake Travis area to a single 24-hour ambulance to better match local demand patterns.

Hopkins also briefed commissioners on outreach and special-event support. He said EMS provided coverage for Austin City Limits, Formula 1, Austin FC matches and other large gatherings, and previewed South by Southwest as an upcoming major operational focus.

C4 expansion and community programs: Hopkins described the Collaborative Care Communication (C4) line, a clinical navigation line that has moved to 24-hour staffing for low-priority (Priority 5) 911 calls. “That percentage has jumped up to 9.2,” Hopkins said of incidents handled by C4, and he said the percentage of calls resolved without an ambulance rose to about 36% for some categories and 63% for others. Hopkins said the department expects the C4 center to handle more than 20,000 calls annually, increasing ambulance availability for higher-priority responses.

Hopkins and staff also described community-oriented efforts: pop-up resource clinics (“perks”) for people experiencing homelessness, a StreetMed partnership delivering medicine on the streets, fall-prevention outreach for seniors and collaborations with partner agencies. In 2024 the department ran 15 pop-up events, completing about 4,113 interventions and serving roughly 790 clients; additional homeless outreach numbers were presented for related programs.

Commissioners asked about scheduling for 12-hour demand trucks, recruitment and how expanded integrated services free tenured medics to pursue other roles. Hopkins said the department is keeping a mix of shift lengths to preserve options for medics and that recent recruitment and academy throughput are helping both operations and integrated services staffing.

Ending: Commissioners thanked staff and requested follow-up reports later in the year, particularly on C4 performance as more data accrues.