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Austin-Travis County EMS reports 100 sworn vacancies, expands auto-aid and whole-blood deployments
Summary
ATCEMS told the Public Safety Commission it has roughly 100 sworn vacancies, plans expanded hiring and academies, is testing interagency auto-aid for March 2026 go-live, and reported more than 600 whole-blood units deployed to date and 668 opioid-related interventions year-to-date.
Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services told the Public Safety Commission on Dec. 1 that staffing shortages persist even as the department ramps recruiting and programmatic responses.
"That puts us at a sworn vacancy of 100," said Wes Hopkins, chief of staff for Austin-Travis County EMS, describing vacancies concentrated among entry-level medics and EMS clinical specialists. Hopkins said turnover is highest among medics with less than one year of service and that the department plans continued hiring, academy classes and a possible return to four academies to rebuild its pipeline.
Hopkins said the October hiring round…
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