Fire department pivots to full-time force

More staff and equipment for rising call volume, Chief eyes new station

Elgin’s fire department has expanded and rebranded as Bastrop/ Travis County ESD No. 1, a name change that underscores its service to nearly 200 square miles across two counties.

According to Fire Chief Chris Botello, the district is one of about 10 dual-county emergency service districts in Texas. With local growth driving an increase in emergency calls — now averaging eight to 10 calls per day — the department has transitioned from an all-volunteer force to 20 full-time employees, supported by around 18 remaining volun- teers.

“We’ve seen a crazy increase in call volume,” Botello said, after finishing the last round of orientations in January. “We’re here, running full time, and doing our best to keep pace with growth.”

Staffing includes two trucks operating around the clock in Elgin and one in McDade, where the district opened a station last August with two assigned firefighters. The department currently assigns seven staffers per shift, each working 48 hours straight, then 96 hours off.

The district began hiring paid firefighters just two years ago, according to Botello, initially bringing on six full-timers before surging to its current level.

Funding stems from a 10cent tax per $100 valuation in the ESD.

While many of the new hires come with experience from neighboring departments, all employees undergo in-house training. Trainees get accustomed to the department’s particularities and learn how to handle its abundance of apparatus, driving brush trucks, rescue vehicles and fire engines over the area’s varied terrain.

“They have to be very, very flexible,” Botello added. “Elgin is unique. We’ve got a bustling downtown, plus rural areas, so we have to be ready for structure fires, grass fires and heavy rescue. It’s a versatility they need. It’s not just driving (apparatus), it’s getting on scene and using everything that we can at that scene to operate.”

Recruits also practice daily bunk-out drills, where they must gear up within one minute and 30 seconds.

“It becomes muscle memory… repetition, repetition, repetition,” he said.

Aside from vehicle skills, personnel train for interior, exterior and wildland firefighting, as well as EMS response, which make up the majority of the department’s calls, according to the chief.

“Even in winter, we get brush fires because people think it’s a good time to burn something, and it slides off,” Botello said. “The call types really vary, and we have to be prepared for anything.”

As for equipment, the ESD recently placed a new fire engine in service, its first-out vehicle that acts as a “Swiss army knife.” The engine seats four and carries 1,000 gallons of water, rescue tools and EMS equipment.

While needed, the increase and upkeep of vehicles and gear can quickly become costly, according to Botello. A single set of custom-made protective equipment — helmet, hood, coat, suspenders, pants, boots and gloves — runs about $4,000 and expires after 10 years.

“We have a high gas bill. We kind of have to pick and choose where money goes,” he said.

Looking ahead, Bastrop/ Travis County ESD No. 1 aims to build another station, likely in west Elgin, to reduce response times in fast-growing areas.

Botello looks to include the project in next year’s budget plan, he said.

“If it’s going to take us 15 minutes to get there, we need a station closer,” he added. “We shoot for five, five-and-a-half-minute response times. There’s no way we’re going to make that without a new station.”

Eventually, the chief stated a site along FM 1704 may also be necessary, but he is confident that the department is on solid footing to serve the community now that it is fully staffed.