Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) on Wednesday launched a new joint pilot program that aims to get ATCEMS paramedics to a patient’s side rapidly when experiencing a medical emergency at the airport.
This program, which houses ATCEMS onsite in the Barbara Jordan terminal at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, aims to expedite the time it takes medics to get to a patient’s side. Now, medics will no longer have to drive from a station to the airport, nor will they have to park and make their way into the terminal. This program will allow medics to reach travelers needing assistance faster than before. This approach is similar to the Austin Fire Department’s Airport Fire Rescue program, which houses an AUS-specific fire station on the airport airfield.
Additionally, ATCEMS has seen a steady increase in call volume to AUS since 2014, averaging about 12% per year. Due to the increase in call volume, ATCEMS ambulances in the area are allocating more time and resources to treating passengers at AUS, leaving them unavailable to respond to other emergencies and requiring response from EMS resources that are farther away. A review of ATCEMS incidents at AUS revealed that patients are treated on-site and released approximately 65% of the time.
“When we looked at different options for supporting our increasing call volume at the airport, what we found was that the majority of these patients are not being transported to the hospital, which means we do not necessarily need to have an ambulance respond,” said ATCEMS Chief Robert Luckritz. “We looked at some creative solutions with our partners at AUS and came up with the idea to house paramedics inside the airport, which will not only dramatically decrease our response time but also lessen the impact these incidents have on our overall system.”
Realted
- Austin-Travis County (TX) EMS Sees Early Success with Buprenorphine Treatment Program
- Austin-Travis (TX) County EMS Chief Ernesto Rodriguez to Retire after 40-Year Career
- Austin-Travis County (TX) EMS Flies High with Drone Program
For now, ATCEMS medics will be housed in temporary crew quarters, as AUS finishes construction on their permanent quarters. Once complete, the crew quarters will be located on the secure side of the terminal near gate 20. AUS and ATCEMS personnel have been working side-by-side for several months to get the program up and running and get the medics familiar with the airport grounds and procedures.
“We want to thank our partners at Austin-Travis County EMS for working with AUS to launch this pilot program,” said Jacqueline Yaft, chief executive officer of AUS. “The well-being of our passengers is critical at all touchpoints during their journey at AUS. We had our busiest year on record last year, which meant more passengers in the terminal and cars on our roadways during busy travel times. Programs like these are important to uncover opportunities to further strengthen the services we offer to the tens of thousands of people flying in and out of AUS each day. We’re eager to see the results of the pilot to help determine effective next steps for quick response times at an increasingly busy AUS.”
“I’m incredibly excited to see this pilot program come to fruition. As our city and airport continue to grow, creative solutions like this will provide much-needed security and responsiveness to those traveling in and out of Austin,” said Austin City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes. “I look forward to seeing this program succeed as we continue to address additional gaps in our public safety services.”
Both AUS and ATCEMS have worked diligently to get the program up and running just in time for Spring Festival Season in Austin, which historically has seen a dramatic increase in travelers moving through the airport and thus, an increase in EMS calls.
