'Not enough firefighters' | Rural fire departments in Central Texas get boost to help them fight wildfires

MARBLE FALLS, Texas — Fire departments in Bertram, Burnet and Marble Falls are getting money to buy more equipment and strengthen their responses to emergencies. This $2.1 million in funding will come from grants from Texas A&M Forest Service, which is crucial for rural towns in the Hill Country. 

For a number of years, rural fire departments like the one in Marble Falls have relied on these grants, since they help with training and firefighting. 

Marble Falls Area Fire Department Chief Michael Phillips said they are using the money to buy more personal protective equipment. 

“Most of the PPE has a lifespan. For instance, the air bottles and air packs that we wear when we go into a structure, they have about a 15-year lifetime,” Phillips said. 

Bertram Fire Chief Bobby Huffstuttler said the department will use the grants for air packs to help firefighters breathe in dangerous environments. 

“Eighty percent of the firefighters in the United States are volunteer, and out of those 80%, 70% to 80% of them take money out of their own pocket, towards their own organization,” Huffstuttler said. 

While both are appreciative of the help, both departments are still facing challenges, calling water and people their most precious resources. 

“Unfortunately it costs so much to run a water line and so there’s not hydrants everywhere in the county,” Huffstuttler said. 

“We don’t have the funds to hire enough firefighters. There’s not enough firefighters out there to hire right now,” Phillips said. 

While these volunteer fire departments admit feeling overlooked, both believe in the value of continuing to do the hard work in a booming area. 

“The need is greater in Austin than it is here, but eventually you know as we grow, our need is going to be met, I hope,” Huffstuttler said. 

Since the beginning, this program has given more than $380 million to volunteer fire departments in Texas.