City of Austin Launches Austin FIRST Pilot to Improve Response to High-Acuity Mental Health Crises
The City of Austin has launched a new pilot program aimed at transforming how the city responds to high-acuity mental health emergencies. Known as the Austin Field Integrated Response Support Team (Austin FIRST), the initiative brings together medical, mental health, and public safety professionals to improve outcomes for individuals in crisis while enhancing safety for first responders and the public.
The Austin FIRST pilot was formally presented to the City Council’s Public Safety Committee on September 22, 2025, and officially launches in mid-October. The program is being led by a multidisciplinary partnership that includes the City of Austin Chief Medical Officer, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (ATCEMS), the Austin Police Department (APD), and Integral Care.
Addressing a Critical Gap in Crisis Response
City officials identified a significant gap in Austin’s existing emergency response model for high-acuity mental health calls—situations involving severe psychiatric symptoms, high risk of self-harm or harm to others, or intense paranoia or delusions. Under current practice, EMS and mental health clinicians often stage away from these scenes until law enforcement secures them, delaying clinical intervention during critical early moments.
Austin FIRST introduces a new approach: a coordinated, co-response model where medical, mental health, and law enforcement professionals respond together from the outset.
How the Pilot Works
The Austin FIRST team consists of:
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An ATCEMS paramedic
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An APD officer trained in mental health response
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An Integral Care mental health clinician
The team will co-respond in a single vehicle, with the ability to be dispatched or self-dispatch to high-acuity mental health calls. Team members were carefully selected for their experience and training and completed joint kickoff training in early September.
The pilot will operate out of APD’s George Sector, which includes downtown Austin—an area chosen due to historically higher volumes of mental health incidents, emergency detentions, and use-of-force encounters. The six-month pilot will run through April 2026, with staffing concentrated during peak hours identified through call data.
Oversight, Accountability, and Community Input
Clinical oversight, quality improvement, and program management will be provided by the City’s Chief Medical Officer, with a strong emphasis on data-driven evaluation. The pilot will track outcomes such as reductions in adverse events, increased safety, and decreased reliance on involuntary detentions.
A Community Advisory Group, including organizations such as the Sobering Center and the Downtown Austin Alliance, will provide ongoing guidance throughout the pilot. The City is also developing communication strategies, shared data protocols, and coordinated documentation systems to ensure seamless collaboration across agencies.
A Patient-Centered Vision
Austin FIRST is guided by six core values: safety, collaboration, dignity, compassion, patient-focused care, and holistic support. City leaders view the pilot as a critical step toward modernizing crisis response and ensuring individuals experiencing mental health emergencies receive timely, appropriate, and humane care.
At the conclusion of the pilot in April 2026, City staff will present findings and recommendations to the Public Safety Committee to determine next steps and potential program expansion.
As Austin continues to grapple with growing mental health needs, Austin FIRST represents a bold, evidence-based effort to center health, safety, and dignity in crisis response.
