EMS staff are preparing for the October 1 “go live” of Bastrop County EMS.   Officials have finalized plans for the deployment of eight ambulances 24-hours each day, with three additional ambulances 12-hours a day for a total of 11 units at peak times.   Station locations are illustrated below.

EMS Director Allen Johnson explained, “This is a major step forward for the community.   When ESD 3 assumed oversight of the county’s EMS contractor, there were only four ambulances in the county.   Response times were long, and the county routinely relied on its contractor to send ambulances from as far as Temple to answer 911 calls.”    Beginning in June 2025, the ESD funded additional contractor ambulances to address the demand.   Even with these additional trucks, surge volume often leaves the county without an available ambulance. 

In October of last year, the ESD Board of Commissioners voted to allow the contract with Acadian Ambulance to terminate and bring EMS in-house in October 2026.

The ESD will continue to staff an ambulance in Bastrop, Elgin, Smithville, the southern portion of Cedar Creek on FM 535 and the Camp Swift area.   The new deployment will add ambulances to Red Rock, KC Estates and the western portion of Cedar Creek on Highway 71.   The peak trucks will be based in Bastrop, Rosanky and along FM 1704 near Elgin.  

In addition to the 11 ambulances, two EMS supervisors will support the system, providing oversight and additional advanced life support capabilities.