Austin County approves interlocal dispatch agreement with Westcom for EMS and fire calls

Austin County Commissioners on the record approved an interlocal agreement to outsource emergency medical services and fire dispatching to Harris/Fort Bend Emergency Services District No. 100 (Westcom).

County staff presented the proposal as an operational improvement for EMS and fire response. According to the county presentation, Westcom already provides professional dispatching services to more than 10 regional agencies and can offer dispatcher‑assisted medical instructions, including dispatcher‑led CPR, so callers receive immediate guidance before responders arrive. A county presenter summarized the fee structure as a $20 charge per dispatch call with a separate technology upgrade fee after the first year.

Walter, the county presenter on EMS items, described Westcom’s capacity and the rationale for the change, saying the service would eliminate the need to transfer critical medical calls to Montgomery County and would provide specialized fire/EMS dispatchers. A Westcom representative who attended the meeting confirmed Westcom would provide training to participating fire and EMS agencies during the transition.

Sheriff (identified in the meeting record by title) praised local EMS and volunteer fire departments and said he was neutral about the change but supportive of measures that improve service. As the sheriff put it in remarks recorded during the meeting: “EMS—they’re the best the best of the best. I’ve seen them in action.”

Commissioners asked several operational questions before the vote, including whether Westcom had run system testing to avoid outages, how VHF radio reach to Shelby would be handled, and whether training would carry an additional cost. Westcom and county staff said the system uses the county’s existing radio frequencies and that Westcom would work on required infrastructure upgrades and provide training at no extra charge. County staff noted some infrastructure work would be required on Westcom’s side to ensure VHF radios reach Shelby.

Commissioners voted to approve the interlocal agreement. The meeting record shows the motion carried after a roll-call-style call for “all in favor” followed by “Aye.” The meeting did not include an itemized roll call of individual votes in the public transcript.

The board instructed staff to proceed with implementation steps and indicated Westcom planned to add dispatchers to cover the county’s load. The transcript records that Westcom expected to add dispatchers and that county staff would coordinate upgrades to integrate the county’s units into Westcom’s systems. No funding change beyond the previously budgeted appropriation was recorded during the discussion.

Next steps: staff will finalize the interlocal agreement and begin technical and training coordination with Westcom. The meeting record indicates the Westcom board was expected to consider the county’s inclusion at their next meeting.