Jan. 6, 2023 The South Hays Fire Department will transition to a combination department as the number of volunteer responders dwindled in the area.
Source Firehouse.com News
As a growing Texas community struggles to keep its volunteer fire department ranks strong, Hays County is investing in more paid firefighters.
The last fully volunteer department in the county, South Hays Fire Department has had 18 unfilled positions for a while.
Fire Chief Robert Simonson told KVUE.com said those vacancies meant they were unable to staff a station “for a long time.”
“Volunteering is becoming almost outdated,” Simonson said. “Most people aren’t able to work in the same communities that they live in.”
“We were experiencing extremely long wait times, and we were having to rely on other people to cover our runs in that area,” the chief added.
Applicants will be required to have all state certifications.
“I just want everybody in the community to know that this is the best thing that could happen, and the best thing – we’ve managed to do it without a tax increase,” Simonson said.