ATCEMS is actively involved in advancing the capability of the State of Texas to respond to major and catastrophic events.  ATCEMS provides ambulance strike teams, urban search and rescue teams, incident management personnel and mobile communications support to multiple regional disasters as members of the following groups:

• Texas Department of State Health Services
• State of Texas Air National Guard
• State of Texas Water Rescue/Swift Water Boat Teams
• Disaster Medical Response Team
• State of Texas Structural Collapse Team
• Capital Area Incident Management Team
• Texas Task Force One

During an eight day deployment to the region struck by Hurricane Ike, ATCEMS  paramedics made rescues in boats, helicopters and other high profile vehicles.  In addition, our teams were involved in structural assessment and reconnaissance of the affected areas. Forty-three bus loads of evacuees from Galveston Island came to Austin needing shelter and medical care.  ATCEMS paramedics evaluated each arriving passenger to identify those with medical or special requirements. Following completion of this triage process, ATCEMS transported those needing additional care to a specially-equipped shelter or hospital facilities. Evacuees with no medical needs continued on to a shelter facility.  

Twenty non-uniformed ATCEMS employees worked nearly 600 hours during the Hurricane Ike operation. Workers provided a wide range of aid from managing shelters at local area school to providing support at the Austin Convention Center command center. They also helped evacuees purchase clothes and goods with the City of Austin’s Goodwill shopping vouchers.

ATCEMS staff partnered with the Austin Police Department (APD) to staff a command post in Houston for twelve days.  This facility supplied radio technology and operational support to fifty APD officers who patrolled with  Houston Police Department during nighttime curfew hours while widespread power outages plagued that city.