AUSTIN, Texas — A new class of Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) cadets will be sworn in on Friday.
ATCEMS said 15 field cadets and one communications cadet will graduate from the academy on Friday at 1 p.m. The graduation and official swearing-in ceremony will be held in the Texas State Capitol's Capitol Extension Auditorium.
"It's very special to be graduating during National EMS Week and the first time we've held the ceremony at the Texas State Capitol" said EMS Public Information Officer Captain Darren Noak. "We are very excited to have these new cadets join our team and look forward to them starting their careers caring for our community."
The new cadets' swearing-in is a small step toward fixing a bigger problem for the agency. ATCEMS has had a hard time hiring and keeping medics since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Austin EMS Association's president told KVUE earlier this month that ATCEMS is down 120 medics, morale is low and contract negotiations with the City of Austin have only made matters worse.
A City memo on May 19 said EMS has a 22.4% vacancy rate – the highest of the city's three public safety departments. The City said the Austin Police Department has a 10.5% vacancy rate, while the Austin Fire Department has an 8.6% vacancy rate.
Last week, ATCEMS swore in a new chief.
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