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Lockhart Emergency Medical Services

     

(512) 398-7320   214 Bufkin Lane, Lockhart, TX 78644

 

Cean Charles, EMS Director 

Sara Sanchez, Administrative Assistant

Kenneth Seidel, EMS Captain

 

 

Who We Are

The City of Lockhart/Caldwell County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is a collaborative venture between the City of Lockhart, Caldwell County and Ascension Seton Healthcare. This partnership allows for us to find and staff the best paramedics and provide comprehensive, empowered medicine to the community while retaining responsive, community-focused services in a fiscally-responsible manner. We provide 911 paramedic ambulance service and emergency inter-facility transfer services to our community.

 

Recruiting

 We are currently hiring full-time and PRN Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians. Please reference the Ascension Careers Page for current application links.

Ascension Seton Healthcare is offering a sign-on bonus of $3,000 for full-time Paramedics, $1,500 for EMTs. Relocation assistance is also available.

   

We are employed by Ascension Healthcare, contracted to the City of Lockhart EMS. As Ascension employees, we are members of Texas’s premier healthcare system and a national ministry that provides us with extremely generous benefits. Ascension offers a comprehensive portfolio of health, retirement and lifestyle benefits that are extremely affordable and provide superior access to care and services. Ascension also offers adoption-support benefits and generous paid-time off. 

Our pay is extremely competitive for the state and the region and is favorably comparable to other Central Texas 911 EMS providers. Pay rates are dependent on experience and qualifications. We welcome new and experienced paramedics. We also offer meaningful and impacting opportunities for professional development and service growth beyond the core role of field paramedicine- here, your talents and ideas matter.

Ascension Benefit Descriptions are at this link. 

If you need initial certification, renewal or reciprocity, you need the Texas DSHS EMS Certification Link. If you have any questions, please email us and we will help you.

Operations

Our current base schedule is 24-hour shifts, based from stations, without posting. Shifts begin at 0800.

Our Full-time Schedule is a modified 24/48 rotating schedule with 4-day weekend off every 3 weeks:

Week 1: Monday, Thursday, Off for 4 days (Friday to Monday).

Week 2: Tuesday, Friday, Sunday

Week 3: Wednesday, Saturday, Monday

This averages 56 hours per week. We do not have forced overtime or mandatory additional shifts- your time is yours. 

As a Lockhart Paramedic, you’re going to be part of a close-knit, friendly crew of people that provides empowered medicine to a diverse community of over 40,000 people. Clinically, we operate under a unified scope of practice, with advanced treatment methodologies available to all providers. Every paramedic is trained and empowered to provide medical care at the peak of our profession. Our average transport times are 20-40 minutes, depending on where in the county you’re coming from. Our longest likely transport is approximately 1 hour, from Luling/South Caldwell County to Austin. 

Central Texas is a great place to live, work and recreate. With Austin minutes away, San Antonio an hour south, and San Marcos and the Texas Hill Country nearby, we can go from clear, cool rivers to world-class barbecue to metropolitan nightlife in a blink. We’ve got four major universities in the area, a pair of community college systems and endless opportunities for everyone in your family. We’re glad to answer any questions. Please feel free to Email us or contact us by phone at (512) 398-7320.

Our History

 

The City of Lockhart/Caldwell County EMS was founded in 1987 with the mission of providing advanced medical care to the community. Since then, we’ve been in continuous operation, 24/7/365, providing compassionate, empowered medicine to our community. They’ve saved thousands of lives, helped start more than a few and created countless tomorrows. We would like to thank all of our past members, the community leaders and supporters and family members who made this all possible. Without your hard work, dedication and commitment, we could not do what we do. We are proud to carry on your legacy of compassionate, empowered care for our community. We would like to extend special thanks to our first director, Cheryl Schneider, who spent many years growing our organization from the wheels up.

 

In 2013, as the cost of providing healthcare grew, the City of Lockhart and Caldwell County entered into a cooperative agreement with Seton Healthcare (now a member of the Ascension Healthcare group). This allowed for our service to provide superior service and to recruit and retain paramedics far more easily while maintaining the local connections that allow us to serve our community. This partnership has allowed for Lockhart EMS to continue to provide excellent service.

 

 

 

 

Lockhart EMS Today

 

Today, we provide 911 ambulance coverage to the City of Lockhart and the northern two-thirds of Caldwell County. We serve a population of more than 40,000 people in our primary response area and provide mutual-aid services to our neighboring services as needed. On average, this generates approximately 3600 calls for service annually (as of 2021). We also provide emergency inter-facility transport services to Ascension Seton Edgar B. Davis Hospital in Luling, Texas, transporting patients who require intensive care to hospitals in Kyle and Austin. We also provide medical support services for community events, such as our hometown Lockhart Lions high school football games, festivals, rodeos, fairs and other events. We can be contacted to arrange event coverage by telephone during normal business hours at (512) 398-7320

We staff every ambulance at the Mobile Intensive Care Level, with a Paramedic crew empowered to provide advanced, comprehensive prehospital care to our patient. We provide assessment, treatment and transport to all patients regardless of their ability to pay or any other factor. We are here for everyone in our community. If you are experiencing an emergency, please contact 911 and we will come to your aid.

 

We enjoy a close, supportive relationship with our community.

Our Mission

  

We often respond to calls in conjunction with our colleagues at Lockhart Fire, Lockhart Police, Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office, Travis County ESD-11, our community’s Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and the law enforcement and volunteer fire departments of Caldwell County (Martindale, Maxwell, Mid-County, Southeast, Dale and McMahan). Their support allows us all to provide our community with the best services possible. Additionally, we sometimes need additional resources, such as a medical helicopter, and mutual-aid with our neighboring services. All of these resources are coordinated 24/7 by our hardworking dispatchers at Lockhart PD and Caldwell County, who are trained and equipped to get the right resources to your emergency as quickly as possible. We are available at any time by calling 911. We cannot self-dispatch, so if you are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 911 directly. 

 

Our Facilities

We are based from a pair of stations in Lockhart. 

Station 1 is located at 214 Bufkin Lane and houses our "District 1" ambulance and crew, providing primary coverage for the south and east portion of Lockhart and the central portions of Caldwell county. Our administrative team also works out of Station 1.

Station 2 is located at 1914 West San Antonio Road in Lockhart and houses our "District 2" ambulance, which provides primary coverage to the northern and western portions of the city of Lockhart and Caldwell County. Both stations feature kitchen facilities, individual bedrooms for crew and a living area. 

Due to the nature of emergency services, we cannot guarantee that a crew will be in a station at a given time. If you have a medical emergency, do not come to the station. Call 911 and we will come to you.

Safe Harbor Site- Our stations, along with Lockhart Police and Fire Station, are Safe Harbor Sites. If you elect to use our station for safe harbor, call 911 immediately and we will ensure that the baby is safe.

Our Fleet

We currently have five ambulances. All four are diesel-powered, 2-wheel drive models.

Medic 5 is the senior member of the fleet, a 2010 F-350 chassis fitted with an AEV Traumahawk module.

Medic 3 is a 2013 F350 ambulance with a Wheeled Coach module. We have installed a new Powerload system in this ambulance.

 

Medics 1 and 2 are a matched set of F-450 trucks fitted with Demers modules. Both are upfitted with Stryker Powerload systems. Medic 1 is in the process of being remounted at this time.

 

 

We are in the process of fielding the new Medic 4, a 2022 Ram 5500 with a Frazier ambulance module. Medic 4 is getting its Powerload at present and will be in service in the near future.

We currently use Lifepack-15 monitors, Kingvision video laryngoscopes, Plum360 IV pumps, EZ-IO drills and Stryker PowerPro stretchers. We use Zoll Rescuenet for charting.

 

Frequently-Asked Questions

I live out in the county. Can you get to me?

Although our trucks do not have 4-wheel drive, we can generally access most parts of the county directly by road. However, flooding and other inclement weather may restrict access to particularly difficult properties. When this occurs, we work with our colleagues to get to you, and we’ll find a way. Please make sure gates are passable and your property is well-marked from the road, however.

Can I Tour The Station/Ambulances?

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, station and truck tours are limited. Please contact us at (512)398-7320 for more information.

Is it safe to be in an ambulance?

Our ambulances are cleaned and decontaminated after every call with medical-grade cleaning supplies and anti-viral fog. Additionally, our crews wear PPE and you will be provided with a mask to protect yourself and our crews. Masks are also required at our local hospitals to protect you and all patients. While in the ambulance, you will be seat-belted in position.

Can someone ride with me?

Due to the pandemic, only parents or qualified persons in exceptional circumstances can ride along with patient(s) in the ambulance to the hospital.

Why don't you always use the lights and sirens?

Using lights and sirens tends to make other people and animals stressed and often doesn't save time. In some cases, we will drive to our destination without using them in order to minimize risk to ourselves and others.

I need an ambulance but I don't want to call 911. How can I get ahold of EMS?

It is important that our partners in public safety know where we are are and what we are doing. For this reason, we cannot self-dispatch. If you need an ambulance, call 911. Your call will be routed to the city or county dispatcher, who will call for us and any other responders who may be needed.

Why does the fire department come to calls too?

Our partners from Lockhart Fire Department and the county fire departments respond in concert with us to assist us with patient care, moving and other needs. They are dispatched according to specific criteria. This is why you often see a fire truck responding to assist EMS.

I live in Lockhart but an ambulance from somewhere else responded. Why?

When both of our ambulances are out on other calls and another call comes in, we request a “mutual aid” response from our neighboring agencies. They respond to your scene, treat and transport you. Due to the unpredictable nature of emergency services and higher call volumes across Texas, we cannot guarantee that we will always have a Lockhart ambulance closer than another agency. We strive to provide as much coverage as possible for our community without having to rely on mutual aid. We also provide mutual-aid-services to our neighboring communities.

I want to go to a hospital somewhere outside of the area. Will EMS transport me anywhere I ask them to go?

In order to keep our units in-service and providing emergency medical coverage, we generally only transport patients to the closest appropriate facility in or near our service area. Ascension Seton Hays Medical Center in Kyle, Ascension Seton Edgar B. Davis Hospital in Luling and Christus Santa Rosa in San Marcos are our most common destinations, and offer comprehensive services for almost all patients. In some circumstances, a patient may require specialty care not available in the immediate area, and we will transport them directly to the appropriate facility. In addition to time and resource constraints, we are also limited by regulation and insurer policies- your insurance, Medicare and Medicaid typically only pay for transportation to the closest appropriate facility. Please remember that our crews are advocating for you and that hospital options are limited. 

I don’t want to go to that hospital because it is busy. Will EMS take me somewhere else?

Unfortunately, the hospital emergency departments in Texas are very busy, particularly with the coronavirus pandemic surging through our communities. Hospitals may intermittently request “diversion”, which is an indication that they are full. Within reasonable limits, we will attempt to work with you and the hospitals to find an appropriate destination. However, we cannot guarantee that you will be roomed immediately, and arrival by ambulance does not replace hospital triage and potential time spent in the waiting room. Additionally, we are governed by state and federal regulations defining eligible destinations for ambulances and can only transport to authorized hospitals.

Will my doctor see me?

Although many of our local physicians have long-standing relationships with our hospitals, they are not positioned or equipped to intervene in acute medical emergencies in the same manner as emergency medical services and physicians are. Our paramedics will assess and treat you and transport you to the most appropriate facility from the perspective of capacity to manage your condition. Your family, primary-care physician and specialist(s) will be integrated into your ongoing care by the hospital that receives you. 

I need an ambulance to get to an appointment.

In order to provide emergency medical care and coverage for our community, Lockhart EMS does not provide non-emergency medical transportation. We recommend contacting your primary-care physician to schedule services with a private-ambulance provider, wheelchair van or other appropriate resource.

How can I obtain my medical records?

Please call us at (512) 398-7320 during normal business hours.

What do you have to do to become a paramedic?

That's a lengthy answer, which we're happy to help you with. Please email us at robert.martin2@ascension.org and we’ll get you started. 

What is the difference between a paramedic and an EMT?

Paramedics can provide more comprehensive treatments than EMT-Basics or Advanced EMTs can. An EMT has completed approximately 180 hours of classroom training. A Paramedic has approximately 1,600 hours of classroom training and clinical experience. 

 

If you have any other questions for EMS, please reach out to us.

Contact Information

(512) 398-7320 (phone)
(512) 398-3405 (fax)

214 Bufkin Lane, Lockhart, TX 78644 

 

 

 

 

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