AUSTIN (KXAN) — The city of Austin has launched a pilot program aimed at improving mental health crises.
The program is called Austin Field Integrated Response Support Team, or Austin FIRST. The program came after a review of the current protocols regarding law enforcement, according to a memo released by the city last Friday. In the memo, it found a gap in the current response model for high-acuity mental health emergencies.
The current standard for this call is for Austin-Travis County EMS and the Expanded Mobile Crisis Outreach Team, or EMCOT, to be away from the scene and wait for law enforcement to make sure the area is safe.
The pilot program includes a team that can self-dispatch to these mental health calls. The team will include members with the ATCEMS paramedic, an APD officer trained in mental health, and an Integral Care Mental Health clinician.
This all comes after a recent report found the deployment of EMS vehicles were not sustainable. Part of the reason for the shift was because of the increase in staffing at Austin Travis-County EMS.
The pilot program is expected to go through April. A final update will be presented to the Public Safety Committee in 2026.
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