About TCESD5

History

Travis County Emergency Services District #5, was organized by citizens in the Manchaca area of Travis County. The original fire district serving the community was the Manchaca Volunteer Fire Department. The department was formed in 1968 and incorporated as a Texas non-profit corporation in 2005. The initial board had 5 directors: Ray M. Turner, Gene Williams, Walker P. Nance, Randolph W. Walker and Martin T. Moser. The initial registered office of the corporation was 10111 Slaughter Lane, Route 5, Austin, Texas and Ray M. Turner was the initial registered agent.

Initially funded solely by donations, the district assisted in the formation of Travis County Rural Fire Prevention District #7 in 1985, later converting to Travis County Emergency Services District #5 in 1994. Much of Travis County Emergency Services District Number 5’s funding currently is derived from property tax receipts and a 1% Sales Tax on goods and services sold within the service district

Present

Today, Travis County ESD #5 is a combination career emergency services organization that serves an area of southern Travis County approximately twelve square miles in size that boasts a population of approximately 17,000 residents and contains approximately $3,021,582,798 in taxable property. The apparatus fleet consists of one Engine, one Engine/Tender, one Brush truck, one Tender, one Battalion truck, one Support truck and one Command vehicle. Our call volume is approximately 1700+ calls per year and we maintain an average response time of five and a half minutes. As almost 75% of our call volume is first-response EMS; it is important that are staff are dual certified in fire suppression and EMS medical response.

Operating solely with volunteers until 2005, ESD#5 now employs 15 full-time firefighters, Engineers, and officers working 24hours a day. The ESD also employs a full-time paid Chief, a full-time Captain and a six part-time firefighters.

Dispatch communications are coordinated on a twenty-four hour basis through the Austin Fire Department, and all personnel have radio communication/notification devices. Training is conducted according to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection, and the Department of State Health and Human Services. ESD #5 provides all protective personal equipment and issues only NFPA approved safety equipment. In addition to fire suppression, ESD#5 engages in fire education/safety, fire prevention and inspection enforcement, slope rope rescue, swift/still water rescue, vehicle extrication and hazardous materials mitigation.

TCESD#5 participates in the Travis/Williamson County Auto Aid Agreement which means that no matter where you are in Travis or Williamson County, you will get the closest emergency responder to your emergency.  This means that Austin Fire Department will respond to TCESD#5 territory and vice versa.  In addition, when TCESD#5 has a structure fire or major incident, Austin Fire and our units will both be working on the scene together.

We provide fire protection, EMS first response, rescue and other services to over 17,000 in population, one high school, one elementary and numerous private/charter schools. 

Travis County ESD#5 is an ISO Public Protection Classification Class 2 department and is just a couple of points away of obtaining a Class 1 department (the best rating possible).

TCESD#5 participates in the Travis County Auto-Aid Coalition which provides auto aid response on all alarms in the district along with closest unit responses of the closest emergency vehicle for the citizens of the area