 LCRA and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative representatives present a $14,438 grant to the Maxwell Community Volunteer Fire Department for new emergency equipment. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program. Pictured, from left to right, are: Milton Shaw, Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative director; Joyce Buckner, Bluebonnet community development representative; David Childress, Maxwell Community Volunteer Fire Department representative; Donald A. Leclerc, Maxwell VFD representative; Rick Arnic, LCRA governmental affairs representative; and Lori A. Berger, LCRA Board member. |
The Maxwell Community Volunteer Fire Department soon will purchase new self-contained breathing apparatus refill equipment thanks to a $14,438 community development grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative.
The grant, along with $4,956 in local matching funds, will allow firefighters to more quickly refill the tanks they need to protect their lungs from smoke and dangerous fumes they encounter when fighting fires and at other emergencies.
“This system is a huge deal,” said Jennifer Lott, fire captain. “This will be the second system in (Caldwell County), and the other one is all the way on the other side of the county. Between us and all the other departments that need refills, it’s really an issue.”
She added that having limited capacity to refill tanks could affect firefighter safety and the department’s ability to respond quickly to emergency calls.
Lott said the all-volunteer fire department was formed in the mid-1960s by residents in the rural area who felt helpless after a series of house fires. In the years since, the population has grown substantially and is expected to continue to expand with the construction of nearby housing subdivisions. This growth is expected to increase the number of calls to which the department responds.
The new system also will improve firefighters’ ability to properly train using their air tanks, Lott said. Without the refill equipment, the department has had to be careful not to use all the available tanks when training, in case an emergency call came in.
“This means we will have more of an ability to train as if we are at an actual fire,” Lott said.
“We are supported by the community’s tax dollars, and we want to be what the community needs us to be,” Lott said. “This is one more step in that process. We really appreciate this grant.”
The community grant is one of a number of grants recently awarded through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program. The program provides economic development and community assistance grants to cities, counties, volunteer fire departments, regional development councils and other nonprofit organizations in LCRA’s electric and water service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. Bluebonnet is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and a partner in the grant program.
Applications for the next round of grants are due July 31. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.
About LCRA
The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; ensuring a clean, reliable water supply; and offering access to nature at more than 40 parks, recreation areas and river access sites along the Texas Colorado River, from the Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA and its employees are committed to enhancing the lives of Texans through water stewardship, energy and community services. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934. For more information, visit
lcra.org.
Media Contact
Clara Tuma
512–578–3292
clara.tuma@lcra.org
Source: LCRA Business News
