The Brazos County Emergency Service Districts are continuing to prioritize safety in regard to the growing population and allowed the public to learn and interact with their members during the Inside the Firehouse event on Oct. 13. (Rhett Brady/Community Impact)
Brazos County Emergency Service Districts are looking to boost volunteer firefighting in regard to the growing population. As a way to showcase what the departments do and bring awareness to the growing needs, the districts invited the public to learn and interact with firefighters to help bring eyes to the importance of ESDs.
In a nutshell
The Inside the Firehouse event featured fire chiefs from Brazos County's four precincts, along with members of the volunteer fire department, showcasing vehicles and equipment used every day, such as fire trucks, hoses and uniforms. The public could interact with firefighters and emergency medical technicians to better understand their jobs and duties.
The volunteer department operates in four ESD boundary areas throughout the county. The ESDs have full-time, part-time, on-call, volunteer and contract employees. They also have the same fire safety, emergency medical and strength and conditioning qualifications as Bryan or College Station firefighters.
Vice President of the Brazos County Precinct 3 Volunteer Fire Department Edgardo Garcia Vela told Community Impact many volunteers are looking to become full-time firefighters and that serving the community is the heart of what they do.
Patrons could visit the fire trucks and see the equipment on the inside and outside.PD Ward/Community Impact
A closer look
The informational session, hosted by former president of ESD No. 3 Brady Drennen, clarified the importance of ESDs and what they do. ESDs primarily offer fire protection, disaster response and emergency medical and rescue services, along with prioritizing the protection of ranches, homes, farms and other types of personal property throughout the county.
Drennen said ESDs are funded by local property taxes and are capped by state law, but the rapid growth of the Brazos Valley is going to warrant more employees and equipment. Suits can cost more than $10,000 each and trucks can cost close to $1 million, and Garcia Vela said an engine can sometimes only last up to five years.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Brazos County has grown by 19,670 people since 2020, putting it within the top 100 growing metro areas in the country. As previously reported by Community Impact, Brazos County is expected to see large natural growth and growth from the incoming Terafab microchip manufacturing facility in the next 15 years.
"Emergency Services Districts are built by the community, funded by the community and dedicated to serving the community,” Drennen said. “They’re also serviceable, managed well and protected from political swing.”
Along with tax-based funding, ESDs are governed by a five-member board, which helps with budgeting, planning, contracting and infrastructure. The departments also follow a capital plan, which is currently set for 10 years of future planning.
Quote of note
Fire Chief of ESD No. 1 David Cooper said the precincts cover 140 square miles, which he described as an ‘incredible’ distance depending on the workforce or resources the districts have available. Cooper also said more volunteers can help prevent fires from spreading over greater distances faster.
“Houses nowadays can go up in flames a lot faster because of the materials of items in the home,” Cooper said. “If someone gives us a call two minutes after the fire starts, we’ve already lost two minutes of critical time.”
Major takeaways
All four fire chiefs said the departments are always looking for new volunteer firefighters to train and bring on to serve the community. Those interested can apply on the Brazos County volunteer fire department website and are subject to physicals, drug and background tests.
Panel host and Brazos County Commissioner-elect Kyle Greenwood told Community Impact he hopes to host more educational events as commissioner sometime in the future.
