Williamson County EMS is expanding its resources in Round Rock and Liberty Hill to reduce emergency response times and tackle increasing call volumes.

The Overview

Starting Sept. 6, a second 24-hour ambulance and six medics will be added to the Round Rock EMS station at 1781 E. Old Settlers Blvd.

Round Rock’s Fire Station No. 6, near Dell Diamond, will also receive another 12-hour ambulance, operating from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The additions are meant to address Round Rock’s 25% increase in call volumes over the past two years, Williamson County EMS Director Mike Knipstein said.

Knipstein said the increased demand is due to commercial and residential growth, especially in the northern and eastern portions of the city.

As a part of Williamson County’s fiscal year 2023-24 budget, $828,000 was set aside to open a second EMS station in Liberty Hill by April 2025, adding an ambulance and seven service providers to the area.

Knipstein said the new EMS station will reduce response times in Liberty Hill by five to 10 minutes, while additional ambulances and personnel in Round Rock will reduce response times by two to five minutes.

Looking ahead

From March to August, the county participated in a third-party evaluation from consulting firm AP Triton, which studied Williamson County EMS performance averages.

Project Manager Rich Buchanan commended the department for fast call response times but offered recommendations to reduce travel times for EMS vehicles.

Liberty Hill, Florence, Coupland, Weir and Georgetown were among the areas with the longest travel times, according to the study.

Knipstein said the county would consider stationing additional "squad cars" across the county’s rural service areas, which would allow paramedics to arrive at the scene of emergencies quicker than ambulances.

Quote of note

“Over probably the next five to seven years, I would anticipate with court approval that we would be adding at least one ambulance a year to keep up with the growth,” Knipstein said. “Without their support, it would be difficult to cover this large area.”