Austin‑Travis County EMS reports 15.1% vacancy rate, details recruitment and opioid response efforts
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Summary
Wes Hopkins, chief of staff for Austin‑Travis County EMS, told the Public Safety Commission the department is down about 105 sworn positions (15.1% vacancy), described hiring and retention changes, highlighted opioid interventions including a buprenorphine bridge and Narcan distribution, and said an auto‑aid CAD integration is tentatively set for August 2026.
Wes Hopkins, chief of staff for Austin‑Travis County Emergency Medical Services, presented the department’s fiscal‑year‑26 first‑quarter report to the Public Safety Commission on March 2, saying the service has an authorized strength of 714 positions and 609 field sworn personnel, leaving roughly 105 vacancies and a Q1 vacancy rate of 15.1%.
Hopkins said the largest gaps are at the entry‑level medic (EMT) and paramedic positions. “That entry level position, which is Medic…we have 33 field openings and 2 communications openings,” he told commissioners, and added that many separations occur in the first year or within five years of service.
The department attributed separations to retirements, unpredictable life events and career changes, and said about 30% of separations are retirements. Hopkins described steps taken since 2022 to shorten hiring time to about 4.5 months, simplify the application process, allow direct hiring at the paramedic level, expand to four academies per year when funding permits, add stipends for field training officers, and create dedicated recruiting staff. “We reduced our hiring timeline…and launched a direct hire process,” he said.
Hopkins also reviewed EMS’s opioid‑response activity in Q1. He said 82 people enrolled in a buprenorphine bridge program in Q1 and that EMS recorded 708 opioid interventions year‑to‑date in the period covered. The department reported distributing and supporting use of naloxone (Narcan) broadly through grant and city funding and stressing linkage to treatment and peer support after overdose responses.
On system‑level changes, Hopkins described work on an ambulance auto‑aid CAD integration with neighboring jurisdictions to send the closest ambulance across jurisdictional lines. He warned the rollout requires extensive testing and training, and gave a tentative go‑live target of August 2026, moved from an earlier May estimate.
Commissioners asked questions about how Austin’s turnover compares with national benchmarks, bilingual staffing and recertification. Hopkins said the EMS turnover rate remains below national industry averages for similar third‑service agencies and that the department tracks bilingual credentials and reimburses certifications and continuing education costs to support recertification.
The commission requested follow‑up materials, including data on bilingual staffing and any analyses used to compare turnover with peer agencies. The department said it would provide the study it referenced on opioid‑response efficacy when it is published.
What’s next: commissioners asked to receive additional EMS data and to schedule related audit items; Hopkins invited commissioners to ride along or attend EMS events including the department’s 50th‑anniversary station reopening on March 7.
Ending: The commission moved from the EMS report to the next agenda items after a period of commissioner questions and brief discussion.
