Cybersecurity Is an Operations Issue—Not an IT Problem

Cybersecurity Is an Operations Issue—Not an IT Problem

For many Texas Emergency Services District (ESD) Commissioners, cybersecurity still feels like something that belongs to the IT department or a contracted vendor. Firewalls, passwords, and servers don’t look like ambulances, stations, or staffing schedules. But this view misses a critical reality: cybersecurity failures now directly disrupt EMS operations.

Modern EMS systems depend on technology for nearly every operational function—dispatch, CAD, ePCR, cardiac monitors, billing, payroll, radios, GPS, and even station access control. When any of these systems fail due to a cyber incident, response times increase, documentation is delayed, and patient care continuity is threatened. That is not a technology problem—it is an operational failure.

Across the country, EMS agencies have experienced ransomware attacks that shut down dispatch interfaces, forced crews back to paper charting for weeks, or prevented patient care reports from being transmitted to hospitals. In each case, commissioners were left asking the same questions they ask after a vehicle crash or staffing shortage: How did this happen? Could it have been prevented? Who is accountable?

Cyber incidents don’t announce themselves politely. They happen at 2:00 a.m., during storms, during high-call-volume weekends, or in the middle of multi-agency responses. When systems go down, crews don’t stop responding—but they operate blind, disconnected, and at higher risk of error. The operational impact is immediate.

Texas law already treats cybersecurity as an operational obligation. HIPAA, HB 300, and public-sector governance expectations all require leadership oversight—not just technical controls. Commissioners are expected to exercise reasonable governance over risks that affect service delivery, public trust, and liability exposure.

Importantly, cybersecurity is not about eliminating risk. It is about understanding where operations depend on technology and ensuring reasonable safeguards, backup procedures, and response plans are in place. Commissioners don’t need to understand encryption algorithms—but they do need to understand what happens if ePCR is unavailable for 48 hours, or if dispatch systems are compromised, or if patient data is improperly accessed.

Cybersecurity is now part of operational resilience. It sits alongside fleet readiness, staffing models, and mutual aid planning. Treating it as an IT issue alone leaves a dangerous gap between governance and reality.

For Texas ESD Commissioners, the question is no longer if cyber risk affects operations—but whether leadership is prepared when it does.

👉 Ask about our Cyber Readiness Check to highlight areas for attention.