Austin EMS Association

04/17/2026

Celebrating Telecommunications Week with our amazing Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services dispatchers and call takers who are on the front lines receiving calls, dispatching, and helping citizens during their time of need! They really are the backbone of this organization!

04/16/2026

Way to go Commander Fitzpatrick!

This takes us to an on-scene call with Field Commander B. Fitzpatrick when he was just a rookie! Can y'all name the other medic with Cmdr. Fitpatrick? Fun fact, Commander Fitzpatrick is currently our highest tenured Field Commander with over 30 years at ATCEMS. Who remembers when Fitz was a rookie?

03/13/2026

is Hiring!

Details:
Applications:
Close: Monday, April 20th, 2026, at 12pm CST
Academy Starts: October 2026
Positions Hiring for: Cadet-Field, Cadet-Communications, Direct Hire-Clinical Specialist.
Additional Info & Insights:
The minimum qualifications for field have added requirements:
Minimum Qualifications for Cadet - Communications and Field
Must be 18 years or older (no upper age limit) Must read, write, and speak English
And the following:
Certification as an Emergency Medical Technician-Basic (EMT-B) or higher
• Must be eligible for employment in the U.S.
• Must have a valid driver’s license for minimum 2 years
• Must possess a High School Diploma or GED
• 2 years of public facing customer service experience. (public facing customer service is defined as any role in which a person interacts with the public and/or patients in an employment setting, including but not limited to medical/healthcare roles, retail, hospitality, education, etc.)

Minimum Qualifications for Direct Hire Clinical Specialist Field:
Must be 18 years or older (no upper age limit). Must read, write, and speak English.
And the following:
Certification as an Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic (EMT-P) or Licensed Paramedic (LP)- You must also have one (1) year of 9-1-1 EMS Transport or Critical Care Transport, full-time clinical ALS experience, while certified at the level of EMT-P or LP, including but not limited to:
• Must be eligible for employment in the U.S.
• Must have a valid driver’s license for minimum 2 years
• Must possess a High School Diploma or GED
• 2 years of public-facing customer service experience (Public-facing customer service experience is defined as any role in which a person interacts with the public and/or patients in an employment setting, including but not limited to medical/healthcare roles, retail, hospitality, education, etc.)

For more information and to apply:
Link in Bio or Visit:
https://www.austintexas.gov/emsrecruiting/careers

03/02/2026

The Austin EMS Association is sponsoring a blood drive with our friends at We Are Blood along with Council Member Zohaib Qadri to support those impacted by the 6th street shooting.

Thank you to everyone for the outpouring of support and if you're available to donate today please stop on by to benefit a good cause!

03/01/2026

This morning at approximately 2:00 a.m., Austin-Travis County EMS responded alongside Austin Police Department and Austin Fire Department to a critical incident involving a shooting at the 700 block of West 6th Street.

Within 57 seconds, CASTMED and DTAC medics were on scene and immediately initiated advanced life-saving interventions. Additional ambulances were rapidly deployed to ensure sufficient personnel and resources for patient care and scene support.

We mourn this tragic loss of life and hope for the swift recovery of the victims. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families affected by this senseless violence.

We are also immensely proud of our ATCEMS medics and public safety partners who answered the call without hesitation while performing their duties with professionalism and precision.

02/18/2026

M10 and Engine 25 received a visit celebrating Lunar New Year. Our crews joined in the festivities celebrating this important cultural event!

📸Allyson Steele and Danielle Montoya

02/13/2026

The Austin EMS Association stands with Lieutenant Suzanne LaFollette. Our first responders deserve better. Austin Firefighters Association

Austin Firefighters Association Calls on City to Stand With Lieutenant Suzanne LaFollette in Occupational Workers Comp Cancer Appeal | Time is Now for Texas to Align with Federal Workers Comp Coverage for Female Firefighters

AUSTIN, February 11, 2026 – This week, Lieutenant Suzanne LaFollette will appeal the City of Austin’s denial of her workers compensation claim for occupational cancer. The Austin Firefighters Association urges the city to do what is right and stand with a firefighter who has given nearly two decades of service to this community.

“Lieutenant LaFollette has spent her career protecting lives and property in Austin. She has fought countless fires, responded to hazardous materials incidents, and worked in environments saturated with carcinogens and toxic exposures,” said AFA President David Girouard, “Today, she is fighting stage four ovarian cancer that is directly linked to her service as a firefighter.”

“The science is clear,” President Girouard continued. “Over the past decade, research has confirmed the elevated cancer risks faced by female firefighters. As of January 10, 2025, federal standards explicitly recognize ovarian, uterine, cervical, breast, and basal cell carcinoma as high-risk occupational cancers for firefighters. These cancers now receive the same presumptive treatment long afforded to male firefighters for occupational cancer claims.”

Lieutenant LaFollette’s appeal represents a pivotal moment. “This appeal is Austin’s chance to lead in Texas and stand up for what’s right by recognizing and supporting all firefighters facing occupational cancer. We hold out faith in this process and ask the city to join us as we stand with Suzanne.”

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MEDIA CONTACT: AFA Vice President Robert Tijerina, Director of Communications and Public Relations, 512.567.7217, [email protected]

01/28/2026

While many Austinites stayed warm indoors this past weekend, our crews were out in the community answering 911 calls and providing care to those who needed it.

One crew went beyond patient care to show that, above all, we are human. Clinical Specialist J. Traxel and Clinical Specialist J. Welsh responded to a call involving an elderly diabetic patient experiencing low blood sugar. During the call, they discovered the family of 8 did not have enough food for the weekend, or to care for their diabetic family member.

CS Traxel and CS Welsh recognized the family needed care beyond medicine. After clearing the call, they went grocery shopping for essential staple foods to help support the family through the inclement weather.

Thank you to CS Traxel and CS Welsh for your compassion, generosity, and your commitment to caring for your Austin community.

You can read more about CS Traxel and CS Welsh in this article from yesterday:

While on a call, an Austin Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) crew bought food for a family stuck inside during a medical emergency, helping an elderly diabetic woman stay safe during this winter storm.

01/27/2026

We want to highlight the heroic actions of several Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services medics today and extend our deepest thank you and recognition. Earlier this morning, January 26, at approximately 09:25 a.m,, the offgoing crew at M27 was dispatched to a box alarm just prior to crew change. M27 is currently stationed at the apartment complex The Estates at Bee Caves.

As the crew stepped outside to begin responding, they observed dark smoke and flames coming from the apartment building behind theirs. They recognized that the icy road conditions would delay the responding fire engines, so offgoing crew members, Medic H. French and Clinical Specialist V. Arocha Guerra, immediately donned their bunker gear, grabbed a Halligan, and ran up the hill to begin assisting. Shortly after, the oncoming crew members, Medic M. Cooper and Clinical Specialist B. Jackson, joined them. The crews immediately jumped into action when they found people crying that their family were inside. Both crews of M27 decided to make entry into the burning building to begin assisting with evacuating multiple families and one cat, just prior to the burning building collapsing.

The engines were having difficulty getting up the hill due to the ice. Medic French and CS Arocha Guerra, who were wearing ice cleats, ran down the hill to the engines to assist fire by helping to advance their hose lines to the building and placing hose bundles on the second-floor level of the apartment building. Once fire crews were able to gain access and begin fire suppression, the M27 crews assisted District 04 Commander T. Burrier with coordinating shelter for residents displaced during the statewide emergency freeze.

All 45 residents of the building were accounted for, along with one cat. Thank you hardly begins to capture the depth of our gratitude for the valiant efforts of V. Arocha Guerra, H. French, M. Cooper, and B. Jackson today. We know there are people alive today because of your efforts. Thank you for the difference and impact you have made for your community today!

01/23/2026

Celebrating 20 years of countless amount of service, sacrifice, dedication, and commitment to the citizens of Austin and Travis County. 20 years and they are still making impact around them each day. We are thankful for your service to this community!

Cassi Lydon, Field CS
Beau Durham, Communications Captain
James Dionizio, Field Commander
Keith Noble, Division Chief
Chris Lester, Division Chief
Walter Finch, Field Captain

01/20/2026

Shoutout to our Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services Tactical Team working alongside Austin Police Department and Travis County STAR Flight during a joint training today!