Brewster County voters are set to decide this November on a proposal for a new Emergency Services District (ESD) that would fund ambulance services for the county’s northern half.
The new district – called Emergency Services District #2 – would operate as an entity of the county government and provide emergency services for a large swath of the county that includes the cities of Alpine and Marathon. South Brewster County is already covered by Emergency Services District #1, which funds Terlingua Fire & EMS.
The proposal will appear on local ballots during the Nov. 3 general election after Brewster County commissioners in late May approved a citizen-led petition calling for a special election on the matter, as the Big Bend Sentinel has reported. If approved, the new ESD would expand current services and provide two ambulance stations in Alpine and one in Marathon.
Marathon doesn’t currently have its own ambulance and relies on Alpine’s EMS services 30 miles west. Fire services would also be managed by the ESD, but the plan does not call for any changes to the current volunteer system.
The plan for the new ESD is the latest development in Brewster County’s ongoing efforts in recent years to keep ambulances running in one of the most remote, rural corners of Texas. In 2022, after the Alpine area’s longtime EMS company shut down, officials scrambled to find a new provider, eventually settling on the firm Emergent Air.
Now, after three years servicing Brewster County, that company is also leaving.
“ About six months ago, [Emergent Air] gave us notice that when their contract is up next May, they won't be providing ground service any longer,” said Mark Rose, the chair of a local EMS task force and one of the two petitioners who asked for the special election on the new ESD. “It hasn't worked out for them financially.”
In an interview, Rose said Emergent Air understands the dilemma.
“They will stay until we get it figured out,” he said. “They just will not stay long-term.”
With its expanded coverage, the new ESD would cost significantly more than the county’s current $350,000 per year contract with Emergent Air. The EMS task force reached out to multiple vendors and received estimates varying from $850,000 to $1.3 million to run a ground ambulance operation.
Brewster County Judge Greg Henington estimates the cost of any new EMS operation would be somewhere between $900,000 to $1 million. Brewster County officials say the estimated cost increases are based on the new district providing around-the-clock, 7-days-a-week coverage in Alpine and Marathon, staffing EMS workers for backup shifts, and employee benefits and training, among other costs.
Increased local property taxes – to the tune of 10 cents per $100 – would fund the extra costs.
“If I have a $100,000 home, it's going to cost me another $100 a year,” Henington said.
As opposed to pursuing another contract with an EMS company, Rose says the ESD would mean long-term viability for emergency services in the area.
The new district “gives us the option to either contract out for services or stand up our own ambulance service, which we can do for about the same million dollars,” Rose said.
Longer-term, Henington said he hopes the ESD could help foster a community of “home grown” EMS professionals by offering training opportunities as well as higher wages and benefits to paramedics.
“ If we're gonna have an EMS, let's try to have an EMS that will promote young people to stay in our community and become paramedics as a career path,” he said.
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