LEDBETTER VFD RECEIVES $50,000 GRANT FROM LCRA FOR NEW RESCUE TOOLS

  

The Ledbetter Volunteer Fire Department will be able to purchase new rescue equipment after receiving a $50,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA).

The grant will be used along with $53,593 in matching funds from the department to pay for battery-powered extrication tools, including a cutter, spreader and ram that will help first responders free people from wrecked vehicles or other places they cannot get out of on their own.  The grant will also cover the cost of installing on-board storage compartments for the new tools and their batteries.

Ledbetter Volunteer Fire Chief Kevin Woelfel said he is grateful for the new tools, as the department has responded to an increasing number of accident scenes along Highway 290.  He said the amount of time needed to respond to the accident and then get people out and into an ambulance if needed is critical.  He said the new rescue tools will also make operations safer for firefighters.

The department serves parts of Fayette, Washington and Lee counties and has 30 members.  It celebrated its 75^th anniversary in 2022. 

The grant is one of 44 awarded recently by the LCRA through its Community Development Partnership Program.  Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in July at https://lcra.org/cdpp.