A $25,000 grant from Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative and the Lower Colorado River Authority will help Bastrop County Emergency Services District #2 purchase two new mechanical CPR devices.

The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $14,142 in matching funds from the department, will pay for devices that will perform chest compressions, allowing first responders to focus on other aspects of emergency care. The devices also will help reduce fatigue in first responders who are called upon to perform CPR for extended periods.

“As someone who does CPR, I know how exhausting and taxing it is,” said Fire Chief Josh Gill. “These mechanical CPR devices provide high-quality compressions the entire time and remove the human element of fatigue when administering CPR.”

Bastrop County ESD #2, which has both paid and volunteer firefighters, responds to about two dozen cardiac calls a year. The department is often the first on the scene, and its first responders perform hands-on CPR for an average of 40 minutes for unresponsive patients, Gill said.

The two new mechanical CPR devices will be the first for the department and will be placed on each of the department’s primary response trucks.

“These devices give the highest level of CPR possible,” Gill said. “It gives the community peace of mind knowing we can provide high-quality care in emergencies.”

Bastrop County ESD #2 primarily serves 200 square miles of unincorporated areas of Bastrop County, including Paige, Camp Swift, Bastrop State Park, Lake Bastrop Acres, Circle-D/KC Estates and Tahitian Village/Pine Forest. It offers mutual aid to all of Bastrop County, as well as McDade and Elgin.

“There may be situations where we need to respond to multiple emergencies at one time,” Gill said. “With the mechanical CPR devices, we can have more first responders available to aid in other emergencies, which is critical in our rapidly growing community.”

The community grant is one of six grants being 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 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.

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in July. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp. 

Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative members in Washington County will experience a temporary power outage Tuesday, May 23, as crews complete an upgrade to electric distribution lines. The upgrade will increase the voltage carried through the power lines and is needed to continue to reliably serve the growing demand for electricity in the area.

The outage will occur 9 a.m. to noon, and will affect about 650 homes and businesses near FM 2780, FM 1697, Engelbrecht Rd., Wildflower Rd., Christian Cemetery Rd., Hancock Ln., FM 1948, Post Oak Rd., Outback Ln., Fischer Rd., Rehburg, Rd., FM 1948 W, Colvin Rd., Edgewater Ln., Somerville Terrace, Weber Ln., FM 594, Ben Tap Ln., Stevens Rd., Harge Rd., Eberhardt Rd., Schulenberg Ln., Mallard Rd., Roberts Rd., Iron Bridge Rd., Wilhelm Ln., Pheasant Ln., Cheri Ln., Drake Rd., Deep Water Blvd., Longpoint Rd., Natalie Ln., Rocky Creek Park Rd., Friendship Circle, Coon Rd., Dorothy Ln., Joyce Circle, Caneople Ln., White Cap Ln., Malkey Ln., Rabbit Rd., Bates Ln., Bredthauer Rd., Flagpond Ln. and Faist Rd.

“Safety is our top priority every day,” said Matt Bentke, Bluebonnet’s general manager. “We will have more than 100 Bluebonnet employees and contractors, and about 75 vehicles in the area working to complete this conversion with as little impact on our members as possible. We take every precaution possible to make these jobs safe, and ask that residents in the area be cautious and aware of our crews.”

Bluebonnet has contacted every member who will be affected by the outage to inform them of the day and period of time they will be without power, and will call them again on Monday, May 22.

Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of the largest electric cooperatives in Texas and has been serving its members since 1939. Bluebonnet serves more than 125,000 meters and owns and maintains 12,000 miles of power lines, located across more than 3,800 square miles within 14 Central Texas counties. Bluebonnet’s service area stretches from Travis County to Washington County, and from Milam County to Gonzales County. For more information about Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, go to bluebonnet.coop and follow the co-op on Facebook and Twitter.