A $24,720 grant from Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative and the Lower Colorado River Authority will help the Gay-Mound-Cedar Hill Volunteer Fire Department improve its response to structure fires and increase firefighter safety.

The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $6,300 in matching funds from the department, will allow the VFD to purchase several new self-contained breathing apparatus systems.

The department currently is using 15-year-old equipment, and the addition of gear with new technology enhances the department’s ability to provide a safer response. The new gear also will allow more firefighters to actively participate in structure fire responses.

“The new air packs have technology that allows a firefighter to activate a personal safety system with a locator that would help us locate and extract someone if they need it,” said Robert Buchman, assistant chief and training coordinator for Gay-Mound-Cedar Hill Volunteer Fire Department. “Additional air packs also mean we can put more boots on the ground to engage in fire suppression because it means more firefighters can be part of the initial attack crew instead of standing by outside the building.”

The department serves the communities of Gay Hill, Rose Hill and Mound Hill. It also assists the City of Brenham, Rocky Creek Volunteer Fire Department, Berlin Volunteer Fire Department and other Washington County fire departments as needed. Most of the emergency responses for the department involve mutual aid with other area fire departments, Buchman said.

“About 99% of the time, we are either providing mutual aid to nearby departments or we have mutual aid coming in to help us,” Buchman said. “You can’t mix and match equipment from different manufacturers, so buying this additional gear means we will have an ample supply to perform our volunteer firefighting duties safely and effectively.”

The community grant is one of six grants being awarded by Bluebonnet and the LCRA through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program.