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Georgetown Fire Department warns EMS demand rising; chiefs outline staffing, response and wildfire efforts
Summary
The fire chief told council EMS and fire call volumes have risen sharply and that current ambulance and station capacity is strained; the department described response‑time goals, staffing trends, health screening results and regional wildfire mitigation work including prescribed burns on Army Corps land.
Georgetown Fire Department leadership told the City Council workshop that emergency medical services (EMS) demand and overall calls for service have increased sharply in recent years, straining available ambulances and fire stations and prompting planning for station additions, schedule changes and regional coordination.
The chief summarized operational data showing call growth from about 11,000 calls in 2020 to roughly 16,000 calls in 2024 and described year‑over‑year EMS call growth of about 9 percent. The department said increases are driven by rapid population growth, higher concentrations of multifamily housing in some corridors, more long‑term care facilities and greater service demand across the city and its emergency service district (ESD).
Response performance and capacity: the chief described the department’s operational target as arriving within nine minutes for high‑priority incidents 90 percent of the…
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