BRENHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT TO PURCHASE RESCUE GEAR WITH $19,840 GRANT FROM LCRA, CITY OF BRENHAM

  

The Brenham Fire Department will replace 40 sets of outdated wildfire and technical rescue suits, after receiving a $19,840 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and the City of Brenham.

The grant, along with $4,960 in matching contributions, will allow the department to buy new, lighter gear that will provide additional protection for emergency responders.

Interim Brenham Fire Chief Roger Williams said the department’s 10-year-old traditional firefighting suits are “heavy and cumbersome,” and “are not designed to wear while extricating people from a wrecked vehicle.”  He said the new suits are certified for use in both wildland fires and rescue responses, adding that they are lighter, individually fitted and will reduce firefighters’ risk of heat stress and fatigue.

Williams said this grant will provide critical equipment to protect first responders when battling fires or otherwise serving the community.

The department's calls for assistance have increased from 404 total responses in 2009 to 1,150 calls in 2020, a 39 percent increase from 2019.  The department is staffed with both volunteers and full-time firefighters who serve Brenham and provide mutual aid to nine other rural fire departments.

The community grant is one of 32 grants awarded recently through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program.  Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in January at www.lcra.org/cdpp.