ROUND ROCK, Texas — Williamson County EMS is investing in Round Rock to keep up with the area's population growth.
Williamson County EMS is adding additional resources to its station at 1781 E. Old Settlers Blvd., next to the County's J.B. and Hallie Jester Annex. The agency is adding a second 24-hour ambulance at the station, adding six medics, in order to better serve Round Rock residents
The agency is also expanding existing service by partnering with the Round Rock Fire Department to put an ambulance at Fire Station 6, located at 2919 Joe Dimaggio Blvd., near Dell Diamond. According to Williamson County EMS, this will provide more hours of coverage and enhanced response to the north and eastern parts of Round Rock.
Williamson County said over the past five years, call volume in the Round Rock area has increased by almost 30%, and that the department responds to about 40,000 calls a year.
"Northeast Round Rock, all of Williamson County in particular ... [We've seen] a tremendous amount of growth, both commercial and residential. There is an explosion of population and when that population comes in, there is an increase need for our services," Williamson County EMS Director Mike Kinpstein said.
Kinpstein said response times are currently around eight-and-a-half minutes. With the changes, he expects that number to reduce by around four minutes, depending on traffic.
He added that as Round Rock and Williamson County continue to grow, so will the EMS department.
"Our projections ... we will probably add an ambulance a year," Kinpstein said.
Williamson County EMS has 23 response resources throughout the county and 151 field providers.
Boomtown is KVUE's series covering the explosive growth in Central Texas. For more Boomtown stories, head to KVUE.com/Boomtown.