EMS Union Opposes Austin Budget
My Fox Austin—August 4th, 2009
The Austin/Travis County EMS Employees Association has voted unanimously to oppose Austin’s Budget. The group says the budget is putting public safety at risk.
The group says it gave up annual raises hoping the money would be put back into EMS. However, that does not appear to be happening. Officials say that with fewer resources for a growing population, response times are going down. Crews are also being shifted to other stations.
“The chances of having a high priority call are greater in the central area,” said Steve Stewart of Austin/Travis County EMS. “So we’re pulling units in to cover that area. So it’s really going to affect the most is the people who live in the outlying areas or in the areas with low call volume. “Those units that are stationed in their neighborhoods are being pulled in.”