The Georgetown Fire/Medical Department continues to plan for new facilities, equipment, and staff in order to maintain exceptional emergency response services in our growing city. In this column I’d like to share some highlights about these plans as reported by Georgetown Fire Chief John Sullivan to the City Council at the end of last year.
It should come as no surprise, since we are one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation, to learn that there has been a 56 percent increase in call activity and demand for service since 2013. This increase is a key reason why the City is investing in new stations, equipment, and staffing, as well as making operational changes, to meet new emergency response demands.
Fire Station 6
Construction should begin this spring on Georgetown’s sixth fire station. Fire Station 6 will be located on Williams Drive at FM 3405. The new station will help to shorten response times in the northwest sector of the city’s emergency response area.
Williamson County Emergency Services District 8 is funding the cost of Fire Station 6 and Georgetown will staff and operate the station. Fire Station 6 will help to provide fire and medical response across the entire service area like other Georgetown fire stations.
When Fire Station 6 opens next year, an engine company currently at Fire Station 5 will move to Fire Station 6. Station 5 will continue to be staffed with a truck company and a medic company.
Fire Station 7
Plans for a seventh fire station are underway. The city is working to acquire property near the intersection of SH 29 and Inner Loop Road for the station. Fire Station 7 will serve the eastern areas of the city’s emergency service area. The design of Fire Station 7 is in progress and construction should begin later this year. The station is expected to open by the end of 2019.
Future fire station sites under consideration include a location on Westinghouse Road at FM 1460 and another location on SH 29 west of DB Wood road. The Westinghouse Road site could be a station jointly built and operated by the City of Georgetown and the City of Round Rock, potentially serving fast-growth areas in both cities.
EMS medic unit
Population growth has an impact on our emergency services. One way to track increased demand is to measure concurrent demand. Concurrent demand is when EMS staff responds to multiple calls at the same time. In 2013, concurrent medical calls occurred 4 percent of the time. By 2017, concurrent medical calls increased to 30 percent of the time.
In January, the City Council approved funding for a fifth ambulance unit that could be deployed later this year. This medical response vehicle along with the paramedics to staff it will help address increasing demand across the city.
Response Times
There are good numbers to report on fire/medical response times for the department. Different measurements can be used for response times. If we look at the time of dispatch to the time of arrival, the response time has been reduced by an average of 36 seconds since 2012 from 5:53 to 5:17. If we look at the call-to-door response time, which includes 911 call taking, dispatch, turnout time, response, and arrival, the average has been reduced 34 seconds since 2012 from 6:56 to 6:22. Either way it is measured, the department is getting to emergencies more quickly in order to begin critical care and render aid.
Single-unit responses have increased from 15 percent of calls in 2016 to 30 percent of calls in 2017. A single-unit response means that one ambulance or fire truck responds to a call. The increase in single units responding is due to the deployment of medic units and the deployment of advanced life-saving equipment on fire trucks.
Overall, Chief Sullivan reported to council that fire-based EMS has resulted in an improved ability to handle concurrent calls or peak demand, improved call-to-door response time, improved reliability, and a decreased general fund costs for staffing additional units.
Plans for new stations, equipment, and staff, as well as improved response times are reasons to feel good about emergency services in our city. Despite the fast growth we have been experiencing, our Georgetown Fire/Medical Department is planning and innovating to maintain excellent emergency services on which we can rely.
