Bluebonnet and LCRA representatives present a $25,000 grant to the Texas Public Safety Training Academy to expand its training facilities at a new site in Bastrop County. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program. Pictured, from left to right, are: adults Jayme Myrick, academy training specialist; Mary Teague and her husband, Nicholas Teague, EMS program director and fire chief; Philip Marquette, assistant fire chief and deputy director; Margaret D. “Meg” Voelter, LCRA board member; Roderick Emanuel, Bluebonnet Board Vice President/Vice Chairman; Sherry Murphy, Bluebonnet's Giddings-area community representative; and Elizabeth Ehlers, LCRA regional affairs representative. Children, from left to right, are Robbie Myrick, and Ella, Pearl and Noah Teague.

The Texas Public Safety Training Academy will soon expand the training opportunities it offers to local emergency responders, thanks to a $25,000 grant from Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative and the Lower Colorado River Authority. 

The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $63,020 in matching funds from the academy, will enable the department to move its training facility to a larger site and add a burn site for live-fire training.

“We’ve seen time and again how devastating wildfires can be in Bastrop County,” said Philip Marquette, assistant fire chief and deputy director of the Texas Public Safety Training Academy. “From the Bastrop County Complex Fire in 2011 to more recent incidents like the Hudson Fire in 2023, these events have stretched our resources thin. This new, bigger facility will help us train more responders in wildfire suppression, structural firefighting and emergency medical response so we’re better prepared when the next emergency strikes.”

In addition to serving as a dedicated training facility for volunteer fire departments, law enforcement agencies and EMTs, the expanded location also will be available for public use related to emergency preparedness.

“We want to ensure that everyone involved in protecting our communities has a place to come together, learn and prepare,” Marquette said. “The facility will be a central hub for emergency training and preparedness while also accommodating for other community use such as disaster preparedness workshops, recruitment events and nonprofit initiatives.”

The academy will move from its current location in Bastrop to a new site in northern Bastrop County. The grant will assist the academy in purchasing two portable buildings, adding a sidewalk and accessible parking and connecting utilities to the site.

The Texas Public Safety Training Academy strives to provide low-to-no-cost education in rural and underserved communities in the fields of emergency medical services, firefighting and private security.

“We run a pretty tight budget, so this grant really helps us move at a much faster pace,” Marquette said. “It’s been a big contributor in allowing us to expand our facilities and better serve the region’s emergency response needs.”

The community grant is one of three grants recently awarded by Bluebonnet and LCRA through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund eligible capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. Bluebonnet is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program. 

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in July 2025. More information is available here

Bluebonnet and LCRA representatives present a $24,500 grant to the South Lee County Volunteer Fire Department for a 6x6 semi-tractor truck. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program. Pictured, from left to right, are: Dustin Schneider, VFD secretary; Mark Fears and Ethan Miertschin, VFD firefighters; Sherry Murphy, Bluebonnet's Giddings-area community representative; Delvin Boriack, VFD firefighter; Russell Jurk, Bluebonnet director; Kaleb Oltmann, VFD firefighter; Margaret D. “Meg” Voelter, LCRA board member; Cole Mertink, VFD firefighter; Kyle Jenke, VFD fire chief; Curtis Oltmann, VFD firefighter; Michael Krause, VFD treasurer; Matthew L. “Matt” Arthur, LCRA board member; and Kate Ramzinski, LCRA regional affairs representative.

The South Lee County Volunteer Fire Department will soon purchase a 6x6 semi-tractor truck to provide a more reliable way for firefighters to access difficult terrain and respond to water rescues and other emergencies, thanks to a $24,500 grant from Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative and the Lower Colorado River Authority.

The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $10,500 in matching funds from the VFD, will enable the department to replace its 32-year-old former military truck with a newer vehicle that will be more reliable and efficient. Repairs on the old truck require expensive and custom-made parts that can keep the vehicle out of service for long periods of time.

“The truck we’re purchasing will be able to hold a lot more water than what our current capabilities are,” Kyle Jenke said, the department's fire chief. “Now that we’ve been expanding the area we’re serving, it’s important that we’re able to carry the water needed to put out some of the bigger fires.”

The department serves South Lee County, and responds to calls in Lee, Fayette and Bastrop counties through mutual aid agreements. It also recently joined the newly formed Lee County Task Force and responds to calls in parts of Burleson and Washington counties.

“The newer truck will be able to handle rougher terrain, so we can get into the tighter areas where a normal brush truck wouldn’t be able to reach,” Jenke said. “We’ve had to do it a number of times already, so we know how important it is for the truck to be able to handle a lot. This upgrade will also make it much easier for us to get any needed repairs done so we don’t have to spend as much money out of pocket.”

The extra wheels on the truck provide additional traction and can be used to respond to fires and emergency rescues, as well as help retrieve other vehicles that become stuck in the mud.

The community grant is one of three grants recently awarded by Bluebonnet and LCRA through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund eligible capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. Bluebonnet is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program.

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in July 2025. More information is available here