Friday, April 19, 2024
The Granbury Volunteer Fire Department is always seeking new recruits, but especially so after responding to a record number of calls so far this year.
According to the city, firefighters from Station No. 1 — the Granbury station — responded to 1,018 calls during the first seven months of 2022.
That number represents a growth of 14% over the same period last year.
A press release issued by the GVFD pertained only to that department. It is one of nine volunteer fire departments within the county.
According to the press release, the largest category of calls was medical, with 248 calls. That number represented a growth of 29% over last year.
The number of grass fires also grew considerably. The 238 grass fires reported between Jan. 1 and July 31 was 238, a growth of 143% over the previous year.
GVFD Station 1 Captain Mack Bennett noted that this year’s hot and dry weather has made grass fires more frequent. He encourages everyone to be careful with outdoor cooking and welding and cautioned that even a discarded cigarette butt or sparks from a dragging chain can start a grass fire.
Fire Chief Matt Hohon said that the department’s call volume has been increasing by 8%-10% every year.
He said that in the past, the department might have one month in a year during which more than 100 calls were received. So far this year, there has not been a month with less than 125 calls.
Hohon said the increase averages out to an extra one or two calls per day compared to five years ago.
The chief said that he pays a lot of attention to call volumes and how they affect his department’s membership.
He stated that the fire department is always recruiting new firefighters.
Individual firefighters are not expected to respond to every call, but having additional recruits can “help take the workload off the current membership,” Hohon said.
Currently, the department has more than 35 active firefighters.
Being a volunteer for the Granbury VFD doesn’t just mean helping to fight fires, Hohon noted. Help is also needed with public events, social media, station duties and other day-to-day operations.
Anyone interested in joining the GVFD is encouraged to visit GVFD.org for more information. Applications can be submitted online.
Those with questions about becoming a volunteer firefighter or about the benefits of having a volunteer fire department can email Hohon at gvfdchief@granbury.org or call him at 817-579-1111.
