Central Texas volunteer fire department steps in after neighbor goes under

CHALK BLUFF, Texas (KWTX) - Many local volunteer fire departments aren’t just fighting fires--they’re fighting to survive.

After years of financial struggles, the Chalk Bluff Volunteer Fire Department officially disbanded at midnight Wednesday.

“The membership of Chalk Bluff Volunteer Fire Department decided by majority vote to move forward with the dissolution of the organization and to turn the response district over to Elm Mott Fire & Rescue,” Elm Mott Fire & Rescue Chief Casey Perry said in a letter to Chalk Bluff residents in mid-November.

The letter went on to say, as of Dec. 1, Elm Mott Fire & Rescue would be absorbing their coverage area and will now be taking their medical and fire calls.

“It gets hard for these fire departments to maintain off of a minimum budget, and Chalk Bluff, unfortunately, fell to that,” Perry told KWTX Tuesday. “The demand on the fire department far exceeds what it’s capable of at this time.”

James Webb, Assistant Chief of Operations at EMFR, is one of the departments 23 volunteer firefighters.

He says they become volunteer firefighters help, but the amount of help they’re now going to have to provide is about to double.

“I’m excited but at the same time I’m nervous,” said Webb. “We’re taking on a lot of responsibility.”

EMFR is now doubling its response area.

The department was in charge of almost 20 square miles, however, now it will absorb the approximate 17 square miles belonging to Chalk Bluff giving it a coverage area of more than 36 square miles.

EMFR will also be taking over the Chalk Bluff station.

The department will be taking on the added responsibility with almost the same amount of resources it had before, as most of the equipment inherited from Chalk Bluff isn’t safe to operate.

“As far as personnel, we will see a little bit of growing pains there, but a good majority of our membership lives out in the Chalk Bluff area anyway,” said Perry. “By us being able to stage an apparatus and personnel at that station, it will probably cut anywhere from three to five minutes off of our response time.”

Perry says news of the change has gone over well.

“It’s been very well received, the Chalk Bluff residents have been very supportive of the move,” said Perry.

McLennan County Commissioner for Precinct 3, Will Jones, describes how Chalk Bluff VFD got into this situation.

“It’s pretty complicated, but a couple years ago the fire truck they bought via a loan from the USD was foreclosed upon, and so that’s led them not to be able to receive some grants and federal funding for the next few years,” said Jones. “Their fundraising has declined also.”

Jones believes EMFR taking over is the best option but warns of potential financial struggles ahead for them, too.

“I think this is good moving forward for everybody,” said Jones. “But it’s going to be quite a bit of work for Elm Mott Fire, so we just need to try to support them as best we can.”

Each of the 14 volunteer fire departments in McLennan County get a $5,500 annual stipend.

It’s unknown if Elm Mott Will be getting Chalk Bluff’s portion.

”That’s still to be decided,” said Jones. “I’ve always advocated for more money for the volunteer fire departments, we’re slowly but surely getting it up there, and I will continue to advocate for them.”

Perry says they’re going to have to get creative about finding additional funding.

“Just standard equipment on a fire apparatus, we added it up the other day, you’re looking almost $100,000 just for standard equipment, not counting the truck itself, so there’s going to be a lot of grass roots efforts on our end to bring that station up to what we feel is a safe standard for the Chalk Bluff Community,” said Perry.

Perry and Webb urge people to donate or volunteer.

“We’re always looking for more personnel, and you don’t have to be 6′3, 250 pounds, door-kicking and putting out fire: we need people to do all the things, to help fundraise, to do finance, if you want to show up and sweep the floor, wash trucks... it takes all shapes and sizes,” said Webb. “Thank you to those who do support us, it all counts, it all helps, we don’t get the privilege of babying these trucks, because when the call does drop its ‘all hands on deck’ and you have to get there fast, and the trucks take a beating, and all that costs money.”

Perry says they’re also looking for people who are ‘business-minded’ to fill vacancies on their finance board as they work to acquire new equipment because Chalk Bluff VFD had limited apparatus to respond to calls in a safe and timely manner.

The engines acquired were built in the 1980s: one has a transmission leak, the other tops out at 15 miles an hour.

“We are currently attempting to acquire a new structural engine, when I say ‘new’...the apparatus is approximately 25 years old, and we are just trying to put something into the Chalk Bluff community that will be viable and useable and serve the community for years to come,” said Perry.

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