Tag Archives: Austin Fire Department
Wednesday, August 4, 2021 by Jo Clifton
EMS
Alter finds funding for more EMS, fire services
When City Council Member Alison Alter heard that the Loop 360/Davenport Fire and EMS Station would not be opening in Fiscal Year 2022 as planned, she thought of how savings from that station could be used to help the Austin…
Wednesday, July 28, 2021 by Jo Clifton
Public Safety
Public safety looms over city budget talks
The plea for more staff at Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services has reached City Council’s ears. The majority of Council members expressed a desire at Tuesday’s work session to increase that funding for next year, as requested by Selena Xie,…
Tuesday, July 20, 2021 by Seth Smalley
EMS
Fire/EMS station construction on pace despite pandemic
In 2017, a service needs analysis of the Austin Fire Department led to the City Council-sanctioned creation of a six-year plan to construct and staff five fire/EMS stations in the areas of most need: Del Valle/Moore’s Crossing, Travis Country, Loop…
Wednesday, July 14, 2021 by Jo Clifton
Fire
Firefighters’ leader says department needs more funds
When City Manager Spencer Cronk presented the Fiscal Year 2021-22 budget to City Council last week, he noted that the new Loop 360 fire/EMS station would be opening in the coming fiscal year. According to the manager’s budget document, the…
Friday, May 28, 2021 by Elizabeth Pagano
Fire
Taking cues from audit, Austin continues to shore up its wildfire prevention strategy
Thanks to climate change, Austinites can expect to see more storms, floods and fires in their future. This week, City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee heard what steps the Fire Department has taken to address the threat of wildfires following…
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 by Jo Clifton
City Hall
Postmortem of winter storm raises many questions
While individuals and departments shone in their dedication to the city and its people during the cascade of calamities caused by Winter Storm Uri, City Manager Spencer Cronk still has a lot of questions to answer when he releases the…
Wednesday, March 24, 2021 by Jo Clifton
Bonds & Propositions
Firefighters push for passage of arbitration amendment with Proposition A
Most politically involved Austinites are thinking about Proposition B, the camping ban, or Proposition F, which would eliminate the current city manager form of government and create a “strong-mayor” system. But Austin firefighters are hoping voters will pay attention to…
Wednesday, January 13, 2021 by Jo Clifton
Fire
Austin firefighters donate to protect pensions
The political action committee for Austin firefighters was busy the last month of 2020, donating more than $50,000 to Texas lawmakers. Their donations included $10,000 to Rep. Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont), who was elected Tuesday to be speaker of the Texas…
Tuesday, July 21, 2020 by Nina Hernandez
Budget
Public Safety budget discussion wrestles with demands to defund APD
Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo gave the Public Safety Committee a public safety budget overview at its meeting on Monday. Much of the discussion centered around the Austin Police Department budget. Community members and some City Council members have…
Wednesday, June 3, 2020 by Nina Hernandez
Public Safety
Public safety departments run modified cadet classes during pandemic
At the Public Safety Commission’s Monday meeting, Austin Police Department, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services and Austin Fire Department representatives discussed how cadet classes that were delayed due to Covid-19 (and other issues) will move forward. ATCEMS Chief of Staff…
Friday, April 17, 2020 by Jo Clifton
City Hall
Audit: AFD employee accepted gifts from subordinate
An investigative audit by the Office of the City Auditor has found that Austin Fire Department spokesperson Michelle Tanzola violated city ethics policy by accepting gifts of photographic services from an employee who reports directly to her. Tanzola has responded…
Friday, April 3, 2020 by Jo Clifton
Public Safety
No hiring freeze for public safety employees
While most city departments are exploring how to do more with fewer employees in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Austin’s public safety departments are currently on track to continue hiring as previously budgeted. Emergency Medical Services spokesperson Captain Christa…
Friday, March 6, 2020 by Jessi Devenyns
Budget
Public safety departments present preliminary budget requests
Budget season at the city has already begun for the 2021 fiscal year. In preparation for its deep dive into budget requests from the public safety departments, the Public Safety Commission listened to preliminary budget forecasts at its March 2…
Thursday, February 27, 2020 by Andrew Weber, KUT
EMS
Austin 911 operators effectively field calls, but audit finds gaps in dispatching overall
Operators field roughly a million calls for emergency services in Austin a year. A new city report says those operators do a serviceable job of answering that glut of calls, but found a disconnect between those calls and the delivery…
Wednesday, February 19, 2020 by Jessi Devenyns
Uncategorized
Water and Wastewater Commission learns cause of foamy water
On Jan. 22, residents in South Austin reported foamy water in their taps following the Austin Fire Department’s extinguishing of a church fire. At the Feb. 12 meeting of the Water and Wastewater Commission, Rick Coronado, the assistant director of…
Friday, December 6, 2019 by Jo Clifton
Fire
Council OKs amended emergency mutual aid pact
Council gave final approval Thursday to a mutual automatic aid agreement designed to ensure that 19 fire and rescue departments throughout Travis and Williamson counties will assist each other in far-flung parts of Austin and the included counties. The city…
Wednesday, December 4, 2019 by Jo Clifton
Fire
AFD, union still at odds over interlocal agreement
Bob Nicks, president of the Austin Firefighters Association, and Austin Fire Chief Joel Baker are locked in a battle over whether the city should sign on to a new mutual aid agreement with emergency services districts in both Travis and…
Thursday, October 24, 2019 by Jo Clifton
Fire
Wildfire audit update shows more work ahead
After hearing a new report from the Office of the City Auditor on Austin’s wildfire response efforts, Council Member Alison Alter said while the report lays out appropriate next steps for the city to take, those steps are probably not…
Thursday, September 5, 2019 by Jo Clifton
Budget
Council looks at police, fire department budgets
At Council’s final budget work session on Wednesday, Deputy Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo told Council members he had learned that the city would have about $2.4 million more than anticipated when staff prepared the original budget of $4.2…
Monday, August 26, 2019 by Austin Monitor
Radio
Austin Monitor Radio: Wildfires with Justice Jones
This week, Austin Monitor reporter Jessi Devenyns sits down with Austin Fire Department Wildfire Division Manager Justice Jones. Listen in below for a comprehensive discussion about Austin’s wildfire risks, how the city is managing those risks and what still needs…
