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Grants news
A $19,429 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative will help the Heart of the Pines Volunteer Fire Department improve its response time and rescue operations.
The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $4,734 in matching funds from the department, will allow the VFD to purchase 12 sets of new personal protective equipment and a fire-rescue saw.
Heart of the Pines VFD currently uses gear that’s nearing its expiration date and was originally fit for volunteers who have since left the department. Since the gear doesn’t properly fit current firefighters, it takes longer to put the equipment on, extending the department’s response time.
Assistant Fire Chief Joshua Lucas said having equipment that fits properly allows first responders to arrive at emergencies and assess the situation more quickly.
“When seconds count, every moment matters,” Lucas said. “Gear fitted properly is a huge asset to the citizens of the areas we serve.”
The addition of a new fire-rescue saw will significantly cut the time for rescue operations Lucas said. A fire-rescue saw is used to cut concrete, rebar, tin roofs, metal buildings, garage doors and more.
The Heart of the Pines VFD is one of the only remaining all-volunteer fire departments serving Bastrop County. Fundraising, donations, grants and dues help fund the department.
The community grant is one of six grants being awarded by Bluebonnet and the LCRA through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program
Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in July. More information is available here.
Thanks to a $15,900 grant from Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative and the Lower Colorado River Authority, Bastrop County First Responders will purchase two new heart monitors to improve emergency care for cardiac patients.
The Community Development Partnership Program grant will allow the nonprofit organization to replace cardiac monitors that were recently de-certified for use under new federal guidelines. The new monitors will be able to diagnose symptoms of a heart attack; act as defibrillators; track and adjust a patient’s heart rhythm; and perform 12-lead electrocardiogram tests.
Bastrop County First Responders, a nonprofit organization whose members include paramedics and emergency medical technicians, is contributing $4,000 in matching funds toward the purchase.
“These monitors are required for us to provide advanced life support,” said James Green, president of Bastrop County First Responders. “With these, we can utilize our paramedics to their full potential, and they can provide more medicines and more therapies to patients.”
Green said Bastrop County First Responders frequently provides stand-by emergency service at public events across the county, including rodeos and car shows. The group’s paramedics and EMTs respond to calls in their personal vehicles.
“We’re kind of like a volunteer fire department, but it’s just for EMS,” Green said. “We’re available to provide more hands if needed.”
The de-certification of his organization’s older heart monitors came as an “unbudgeted surprise,” Green said. “We had pretty late notice that this was happening, and we were behind the eight ball. Without this grant, we’d really be up the creek without a paddle right now.”
The community grant is one of six grants being awarded by Bluebonnet and the LCRA through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program.
Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in July. More information is available here.
Community Grant program
We’ve partnered with LCRA’s Community Grant program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas.
Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in January of 2026. More information is available at LCRA's grant page.