Town halls scheduled in Alpine and Marathon

Alpine

As the area’s current contractor for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) prepares to move out of the business, county and city officials are encouraging Alpine and Marathon residents to attend upcoming town halls to learn about the situation and share their concerns.

Emergent Air was awarded a three-year contract in 2022 to manage the EMS system in northern Brewster County including Alpine and Marathon, Brewster County Judge Greg Henington said, but decided to not continue the contract when it ended in 2025. They wanted to focus on the air transportation side of their business, he said.

Town hall meetings to discuss new options for management of local EMS are scheduled for:

  • January 21 at 6 p.m. at the Alpine Civic Center in Alpine
  • January 26 at 6 p.m. at the Sul Ross Student Center in Alpine
  • And January 31 at 6 p.m. at the Marathon Community Center in Marathon

“We’re going to open it up and talk a little bit about what EMS is, and then we’ll talk a little bit about the numbers, and then we’ll talk a little bit about some of the solutions that we have,” said Henington, who chairs the taskforce organizing the town halls and spearheading the effort to fill the area’s need for EMS. “And then we’ll have questions and answers, so I figured, if it all goes right, we ought to be able to get that done in just an hour,” he added.

The town halls will continue until March, with future dates to be arranged, Henington said. “Our goal is by March 1 to go back to the City Council and the Commissioners Court and make a recommendation on what we should do going forward,” Henington said.

The taskforce has three goals for the town hall meetings.:

  • To determine what residents want/need in an EMS.
  • To determine how much it will cost to get what they want in an EMS.
  • To determine how the EMS is going to operate.

While residents do not need to be concerned that they will be left without an EMS system, Henington is encouraging them to attend the meetings to help determine the area’s best course of action.

Despite not wanting to continue its services, Emergent Air agreed to continue managing the EMS system for a time. “They said, ‘Look, we don’t want to leave you guys stranded, we don’t want to leave you guys unprotected,’” Henington said.

Emergent Air has agreed to stay in place until at least May 2026 to give the area a chance to find an alternative. But the expectation is that the area will move forward quickly with a plan for a replacement..

Emergent Air just wants to know that the county is working on the issue and not ignoring them, Henington said. “We’ve got a task. We don’t have a crisis.”

After learning of Emergent Air’s decision not to renew its contract, area officials agreed that a taskforce should be formed and meetings began in November 2025.

The taskforce is made up of about 15 members and includes city and county officials, residents, those who are knowledgeable about EMS systems and those who are new to it.

“It is a scattering of people who I think are great citizens and want to see the community succeed in this effort,” Henington said.

Taskforce members include Henington, Catherine Eaves, Adrian Billings M.D., Lynette Brehm, David Dotter, Mark Dwinell, James Etchison, Susan Martin, Mo Morrow, Patty Roach, Mark Rose, Rober Ruckes, Judy Stokes, Vernon Tucker, Jessica Velasco.

Henington served as Terlingua Fire Chief prior to becoming county judge. During that time, he was part of an effort that established an Emergency Services District to serve the southern area of Brewster County.