At the August 29 meeting of the Brown County Commissioners Court, representatives from several county fire departments requested funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. The ARPA was passed by the U.S. Congress last year to help communities recover from the effects of the COVID pandemic. Brown County was awarded $7.35 million in two payments, one last year and one still to come this year.
Leading the presentation was Chad Hill, City of Early Fire Chief. There are eleven fire departments in Brown County, including Brownwood, which is fully professional, Early, which is a combination of professional and volunteer, and nine other fully volunteer departments. They respond to house fires, grass fires, traffic accidents, and medical emergencies. The number of calls for service this year is running about 25% higher than last year, putting a strain on department budgets. Also, increased costs of all kinds, including fuel, are pressuring budgets. All of the departments need to replace aging and worn-out equipment, including trucks, personal protection equipment, etc., as well as make repairs to the fire stations. A new chassis truck (bare fire truck without equipment) costs about $65,000, while a complete Brush Truck costs between $175,000 and $200,000.
Hill said an average of $240,000 per department is needed and requested from the ARPA funds. Commissioners accepted the request and said that they are currently working on the new County Budget, and at a later date will decide how to dispense the ARPA funds.
Below is a list of needed items for each fire department, as well as some other statistics and information provided by Chief Hill.
BANGS VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
New Brush Truck. New Pump for Brush Truck. 15 New Complete Sets of Bunker Gear and Wildland Gear (personal protection equipment).
BLANKET VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
New Brush Truck. Two new pumps for Brush Trucks. Fire Station Improvements. Nineteen complete Sets of Bunker Gear. Twelve Harris Dual Bank Portable Radios. Three wireless communication units.
BROOKESMITH VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
New Brush Truck. New Pump for Brush Truck.
EARLY FIRE DEPARTMENT
One set of TNT Rescue Tools. One set of Res-Q-Jacks. Seven MSA Air Packs for County Response Trucks. Eight complete sets of Bunker Gear. Eighteen complete sets of Wildland Gear.
Harris Dual Band 2-Mobile and 4 Port Radios. One thermal camera for County Truck. One pump for Brush Truck. One-time down payment on a Tanker.
LAKE BRIDGE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
Two new Chevrolet 5500 Chassis trucks. Fire station improvements/upgrades. New roof on fire station. Thirteen complete sets of Bunker Gear. Two AED’s. Five Harris Dual Band Portable Radios. One Harris Mobile Radio.
LAKE DAM VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
New Brush Truck. New Chassis Truck. Sixteen complete sets of Wildland Gear. Two AED’s and Medical Bags.
MAY VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
New Brush Truck. New Chevrolet Chassis Truck. New pump for brush truck. Tanker repairs. Equipment repairs and tires.
WINCHELL VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
New Brush Truck. Fire Station improvements/upgrades. Eight new Harris Dual Band radios. New pump for Brush Truck. New 4-stroke diesel pump for the Tanker. Complete skid unit.
ZEPHYR VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
New Brush Truck.
The eleven fire departments in Brown County are: Bangs VFD, Blanket VFD, Brookesmith VFD, Brownwood, Early, Lake Bridge VFD, Lake Dam VFD, May VFD, North Lake VFD, Winchell VFD, and Zephyr VFD. The following information excludes the Brownwood Fire Department, which is the only fully professional fire department in the County.
Total Responses
2021: 1,234
2022 year to date: 1,120
Total Man Hours
2021: 6,905
2022: not available
Total Yearly Operating Costs
2022: $230,304
Yearly County Contribution
2021: $107,800
Breakdown of the County contribution by Fire Department: Bangs VFD $13,500; Blanket VFD $7,700; Brookesmith VFD $7,300; Early FD $13,500; Lake Bridge VFD $13,500; Lake Dam VFD $13,500; May VFD $13,500; North Lake VFD $8,500; Winchell VFD $8,400; Zephyr VFD $8,400.