A collaboration of Austin Public Works, Austin Fire Department and Austin-Travis County EMS, the Goodnight Ranch station is the fourth of five high-priority stations that will be built to keep up with the city's growth, according to a Feb. 22 press release by Austin Public Works.
“This has been a true collaborative effort to make sure these high-priority stations stay on track,” interim Austin Transportation Director Richard Mendoza said. “That speaks to the level of commitment and focus the team has to deliver these important community assets, and I couldn't be more grateful for everyone's hard work.”
Some of the amenities of the Goodnight Ranch station include four pull-through apparatus bays; 11 fire dorms and four EMS dorms; a common day room, kitchen and gym; parking for 21 personnel of the station; and exterior space for station personnel.
“Our goal is to respond to those we serve in eight minutes or less 90% of the time,” fire Chief Joel G. Baker said. “This latest addition to the public safety fabric of this community is an exciting development as we get closer toward the goal of seeing five new stations completed in six years.”
In May 2018, Austin City Council passed a resolution to develop a plan to fund the five new fire/EMS stations in six years. These stations will serve areas with low response times and/or high population growth, said Keyheira Keys, public information specialist for the public works. The Goodnight Ranch station, also known as AFD Station No. 53/EMS Station No. 42. is the fourth of the five stations that will open. Other stations include Del Valle/Moore's Crossing, which opened in July 2020; Travis County/Sunset Valley, which opened in July 2021; and Loop 360/Davenport, which is slated to open this spring. This leaves one more station left to complete, which will be located in the Canyon Creek/620 area and is in the design phase, Keys said.
“This station is another important step in the right direction toward providing our residents with the most equitable deployment of EMS resources across the city,” ATCEMS Chief Robert Luckritz said. “We are so thankful to our city leaders and the residents of Austin for their support of this initiative and our department.”
