By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
- Officials in Grapevine, Texas, are proposing to take a fire engine out of service and reallocate personnel to expand EMS resources.
- The plan would remove Engine 1 from service, add a specialized squad unit and place a fourth ambulance into daily operation.
- City leaders say the change reflects call data showing about 71% of fire department responses are EMS-related.
- The Grapevine Professional Firefighters Association and some local officials have raised concerns about potential impacts on fire suppression coverage.
- City officials say the reorganization is intended to improve efficiency and better match staffing to community demand.
GRAPEVINE, Texas — A proposal to reorganize fire and EMS resources in Grapevine has drawn criticism from firefighters and some community leaders as city officials move forward with a plan aimed at addressing rising EMS demand.
The proposal would remove Engine 1 from service and reassign its personnel to staff an additional ambulance and a specialized squad unit capable of both rescue operations and EMS response. City officials say the change is designed to align department resources with call patterns, noting that about 71% of responses handled by the Grapevine Fire Department involve medical emergencies.
The plan stems from a 2021 operational and efficiency study conducted for the city that recommended increasing ambulance availability. Under the proposal, Grapevine would operate four ambulances daily while introducing a squad company at Station 1 to support technical rescue and medical responses.
Members of the Grapevine Professional Firefighters Association have opposed the proposal, arguing that taking an engine company out of service could reduce fire suppression capacity in a growing city. The union has called for additional personnel and equipment rather than reallocating existing resources.
Concerns have also been raised by local officials, including a Grapevine-Colleyville school board trustee who questioned how the change could affect emergency coverage for nearby schools and high-traffic areas such as hotels and entertainment venues.
City leaders, including the mayor, city manager and fire chief, have said the reorganization has been under review for several years and is intended to improve efficiency while maintaining response capability. Officials say the shift will strengthen minimum staffing and allow the department to better address the city’s growing volume of EMS calls.