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    Eric Epley

    Executive Director
    Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council

    Eric Epley is the Executive Director of the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council for Trauma (STRAC) in San Antonio, TX. STRAC serves 22 counties that stretch over 26,000 square miles, whose membership includes 55 hospitals, 75 EMS agencies and 14 helicopter bases. Since STRAC’s founding in 1998, Epley has led the growing organization through many initiatives, including regional low-titer O+ whole blood (LTO+WB) in the field on over 50 EMS units and helicopters and the deployment of a regional wireless electronic medical records (EMR) system that now has over 3 million medical records. STRAC also has regional clinical registries for trauma, cardiac, stroke and ICU care from 35 hospitals in South Texas, a 12-lead EKG wireless transmission system, and is a partner in the National Center for Disaster Preparedness Ecosystem. Mr. Epley also spearheaded the development of the Texas Emergency Medical Task Force (EMTF) program, which has field hospitals, AMBUS’s, ambulances, air medical assets, Infectious Disease Response Units, TMORT and other response capabilities. One of the shining achievements for Epley was the conceptualization, implementation and growth of the STRAC-ID PIV-I smart card credentialing program for 8,000 physicians and 10,000 first responders in San Antonio and Texas Epley is a Certified Emergency Manager with nearly 35 years in public safety response and administration, a nationally registered paramedic for over 30 years and a licensed police officer for 13 years, serving as a tactical paramedic at the Branch Davidian standoff, the Republic of Texas standoff and other high-profile Texas incidents. Epley served as a flight paramedic for San Antonio AirLife for 10 years where he also received the National Flight Paramedic of the Year award in 1996. He responded to New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina as a Strike Team Leader on the Texas Task Force-1 USAR Swiftwater team, and director of the Regional Medical Operations Center (RMOC) in San Antonio for Hurricanes Rita, Dean, Dolly, Eduard, Gustav and Ike. Epley is certified as a Type III Incident Commander and served as a Deputy IC on the Alamo IMT. He is currently Chair of the Governor’s EMS & Trauma Advisory Council’s Disaster Committee, which develops hospital and EMS response plans for statewide disasters and oversees the Texas Emergency Medical Task Force (EMTF) Program. He is also a member of the TX Emergency Management Advisory Council (TEMAC) and the State Health Dept Preparedness Coordinating Council.

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