The City of Austin, the Austin Fire Department (AFD), and Austin-Travis County EMS (EMS) broke ground today for the reconstruction of the joint Fire/EMS station located at 5309 East Riverside Drive. In 2018, City Council set the goal for Austin Fire emergency response times at 8 minutes of call receipt, 90 percent of the time, a goal consistent with national standards set by the Commission of Fire Accreditation International and the National Fire Protection Association. The Fire #22/EMS #12 station is one of several priority stations slated for renovation/reconstruction in the upcoming years.

City and community partners are working in collaboration on this project. District 3 Council Member José Miguel Anwar Velásquez spoke on his anticipation for the project: “It's no secret that Austin is expanding in every direction, whether it's in our district or any other area of the city. Given the continued expansion, I will continue working with my council colleagues to make public safety one of our top priorities so that all people can receive prompt help.” He also thanked the East Riverside community for their feedback and involvement.

“This is another step towards the goal of improving service to areas with low response times and/or high population growth,” said Fire Chief Joel G. Baker. “With these new, rebuilt, and renovated stations in the pipeline, I’m looking forward to seeing us achieve our goals of responding quickly and efficiently to the City’s emergency needs.”

City of Austin Executive, James Snow, spoke on the rebuild: “We have been tasked with building new stations to serve these ever-growing communities. But we can’t forget the original stations… the stations that anchored the city for so long." ATCEMS Chief Robert Luckritz recognizes the focus on equity in managing the distribution of the city’s longstanding and upcoming assets and resources. He added, “It is my hope that community members will feel even more at ease once this reconstructed station opens, one they can continue to support and be proud of in their neighborhoods.”

Features of the reconstructed Fire 22/EMS 12 station include:

• 10,600+ sq. ft.;
• Three-vehicle apparatus bay with fitness room;
• Designed to be U.S. Green Building; Council (USGBC) LEED Silver Rated;
• Designed to show integrated concepts of technology and nature; and
• Art in Public Places art integrated into site design to be enjoyed along E. Riverside Drive.