Former Austin police Chief Joe Chacon now director of emergency services in Pflugerville

With concerns about the quality of service by its private ambulance provider, the city of Pflugerville has turned to a familiar face: former Austin police Chief Joe Chacon.

In his new role as the city's director of emergency services, Chacon will oversee the private ambulance company, Allegiance Mobile Health, that has provided EMS services to the city since July 2022. He also is charged with helping the city improve its emergency planning.

The city has had three ambulance providers in the past three years, with council members citing issues with costs and response times. Last year, a man's death was blamed on inadequate care from a medic with Allegiance, whose contract with the city expires on June 30.

Chacon said the city is looking into that contract as part of its oversight to ensure Allegiance is meeting its thresholds, including good patient outcomes and quality of service. He said the city has not made a decision on whether or not to extend the contract and is assessing whether the services Allegiance provides is working.

In helping Pflugerville improve its emergency management, Chacon said he will work to develop policy and programs so the city has the best framework and infrastructure to be prepared for natural or manmade disasters. He said the city's winter storm response has been great, but that there is always room for improvement.

"(My role is to ensure) that we are in prevention mode," Chacon said. "So that we get it through successfully and that we have response and recovery afterwards so that we can help our community to be resilient."

Chacon — who has lived in Pflugerville for 25 years, even while serving as police chief in Austin — took on his new role Dec. 20. Because he does not manage a department, his approval did not require City Council approval, but all council members were aware of his selection, said city spokesperson Cassie Balderas. She said Chacon's experience and expertise made him a perfect fit for the job.

"Joseph Chacon was selected for this role based on his extensive background, experience and familiarity with the community's needs," she said.

Chacon, 55, said he was hired on an at-will basis, meaning his employment will be based on performance and not a contract. City officials were not able to immediately provide his salary, though the American-Statesman is seeking the amount through an open records request.

Having lived in Pflugerville for 25 years, Chacon said he already knows the community, has an understanding of its values and has a bit more credibility than someone who is not from the area.

"Because I've been a contributing member for so long, that helps me as director of emergency services when I'm shaping policy, when I'm building programs," he said.

On Sept. 12, the City Council had approved an agreement with the city of Austin to supervise Allegiance, but that agreement was not executed because of the hiring of Chacon, Balderas said.

The call for oversight of the ambulance service came after an autopsy report, acquired by the American-Statesman, said a paramedic from Allegiance caused the death of a 42-year-old man in January 2023. The report said the man received a cricothyroidotomy, an incision through the skin to open an airway, that he did not need. The report also said that after the man received two doses of the nerve-blocking agent midazolam intranasally, he could have only survived if an airway was established. When one was not established, it compromised his heart and led to his death.

More: Autopsy report: Private ambulance company paramedic responsible for Pflugerville man's death

While he has yet to host any community forums or to seek community input on EMS in the city or its emergency response, Chacon said that is on his to-do list. He said he has talked to Allegiance representatives.

"I am very committed to community involvement and community engagement," Chacon said. "I want to have that same kind of relationship with the community here in Pflugerville. Being able to hear what they'd like to see and communicate that back to the city's manager's office, to our City Council, so that they are working with all the information that there is and they're making the best decision possible based on that information."

Chacon served in the Austin Police Department for more than 25 years and became chief in April 2021.

During his tenure as chief, the department saw an unprecedented level of officers leave, prompting a partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety for its troopers to help patrol parts of the city. Chacon called the program a success, saying violent crime had dropped 25% from the weekly average, but it sparked community backlash amid data showing most citations and arrests occurred in minority parts of the city.

More: Exclusive: Austin Police Chief Joe Chacon to resign from department. Here's what we know.

Chacon said he also wants to help improve the relationship between the city and the Pflugerville Fire Department, also known as Travis County Emergency Services District No. 2. He said he has met with Fire Chief Nick Perkins to get his perspective on the future of emergency services in the city.

"Whether it's strained or not, I am always looking to improve relationships," he said. "I think that there is a lot of room for bettering that relationship."

More: Pflugerville widow struggling with support year after husband died of medical negligence

Pflugerville has long been wrestling with its ambulance services. The Pflugerville Fire Department used to provide EMS services to the city until it said it could no longer afford to because of an increased call volume. In November 2021, voters in the area outside the city limits approved creating ESD No. 17 to handle ambulance calls in the ESD No. 2 service area. City officials said the district's stipend of about $2.8 million for EMS calls was unsubstantiated and did not put the creation of ESD No. 17 on the ballot. Instead, the city hired Acadian Ambulance Services on Jan. 1, 2022, to provide service in Pflugerville.

More: Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon steps down. A look at his career through the years

The city ended its contract with Acadian after only two months, citing dissatisfaction with its quality of service, including inadequate response times. In May 2022, the City Council voted to begin contract negotiations with ESD No. 2 to again provide EMS services, but later that month it also opened negotiations with Allegiance after a few council members said the ESD price tag would be much more than they had been led to believe.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Former Austin police Chief Chacon leading Pflugerville EMS oversight