LCRA awards $50,000 grant to first responders for new safety equipment
New equipment will expand emergency response capabilities for Zephyr Volunteer Fire Department
MAY 2, 2025
The LCRA Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $16,138 in matching funds from the Zephyr VFD, will enable the department to purchase six self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) systems and 12 air cylinders. The essential equipment will significantly increase the department’s ability to fight structure and vehicle fires, conduct search and rescue missions and assist mutual aid partners throughout the region.
“This grant is a game-changer for us,” Fire Chief CaSandra Reiger said. “As a small department, we don’t have a lot of funding and don’t have access to proper SCBA equipment to combat modern fires — but it’s a necessity. Materials in homes and businesses are changing and are more combustible, which means there’s an increased chance of larger fires. The grant will help us make sure that we can properly combat fires and improve the safety of our community.”
The Zephyr VFD does not currently have SCBA equipment, which has limited firefighters to trying to extinguish fires from the exterior of buildings. Without SCBA gear, firefighters cannot safely enter burning buildings or respond to some hazardous conditions. The new equipment will bring the department into compliance with National Fire Protection Association standards, ensuring every firefighter has access to the life-saving gear needed for emergency responses.
“Firefighters are some of the bravest people around,” said Phil Wilson, LCRA general manager. “They deserve proper safety gear to help protect them as they work to protect the rest of us. This new gear will significantly increase firefighter safety and enable the Zephyr VFD to respond more aggressively to fires. We are grateful to these firefighters for their dedication and are honored to assist in helping provide this much-needed equipment.”
The department serves a population of about 3,000 in Zephyr and surrounding areas, including Blanket, Early, Brownwood, Winchell, Bangs, Lake Bridge, Northlake, May, Brookesmith, Mullin and Comanche. The service area includes several high-risk locations such as an explosives plant, two processing plants, an expanding solar facility, a gas station, a K-12 school and a busy freight rail line that runs directly behind the fire station.
The community grant is one of 45 grants awarded recently through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund eligible 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.
Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in July 2025. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.
About LCRA
The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; providing a clean, reliable water supply; and offering outdoor adventures at more than 40 parks along the Colorado River from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA and its employees are committed to fulfilling our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Texans we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934 and receives no state appropriations.
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