LCRA awards $100,000 grant to expand Kerr County fire station

Expansion will help Divide VFD respond more quickly to fires, floods and other emergencies

May 8, 2026

Key Takeaways

  • LCRA awards the Divide Volunteer Fire Department in Kerr County a $100,000 Community Grant.
  • The Divide VFD will be able to expand its fire station to accommodate additional vehicles, firefighting equipment and training facilities.
  • The grant is one of 41 awarded through LCRA’s Community Grants program through June. LCRA will accept applications in July for the next round of grants.
LCRA representatives present a $100,000 grant to the Divide Volunteer Fire Department for expansion of its station. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Grants program. Pictured, holding the check in the front row, from left to right are: Carol Freeman, LCRA Board member; Zelpha Dreiss, VFD secretary and emergency medical technician; Margaret D. “Meg” Voelter, LCRA Board member; James Dreiss, VFD fire chief, president and emergency medical technician; and Jim Travis, LCRA acting general manager and chief financial officer. Back row: John Palacio, LCRA Regional Affairs representative; Hondo Powell, LCRA Regional Affairs vice president; Melissa K. Blanding, LCRA Board member; Doug Pfeffer, VFD first responder; Stanley Dreiss, VFD board member and emergency medical technician; Logan Gray, VFD first responder; and Lewis Sherer, VFD board member and first responder.
KERR COUNTY, Texas — A rural volunteer fire department that devoted more than a month to responding to last year’s catastrophic flooding in Kerr County soon will have a bigger, newly renovated fire station, thanks in part to a $100,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority.

The grant will help the Divide Volunteer Fire Department more than double the size of its current station to provide a safe indoor space for training and to securely store vehicles and equipment. The department, which has been working toward the expansion for years, raised an additional $703,000 to make the project a reality.

This is the second of two $100,000 grants LCRA has awarded since July 2025 to commemorate the grant program’s 30th anniversary.

Responding to July flooding

Though the area hardest hit by devastating flooding along the Guadalupe River last July was not in Divide VFD’s traditional service territory, the department sent crews to assist in search and recovery efforts for 32 straight days. The VFD generally covers more than 900 square miles split among Kerr, Edwards and Real counties.

“It was brutal,” said James Dreiss, Divide VFD fire chief. He said firefighters voluntarily braved dangerous conditions, including driving through deep water that sometimes covered the lights on the firetruck, to try and assist people who needed help.

Fire station expansion is long overdue

Dreiss, who has been the Divide VFD fire chief for more than 25 years, said a larger station has been needed for years.

“We need more brush trucks and another tanker, but we can’t get them because we have nowhere to put them,” Dreiss said. “We keep a tanker outside now. It’ll freeze and break in the winter, and the sun and heat take a toll on hoses and tires.”

The renovation also will provide a new training/community meeting room for use by Divide firefighters, other fire departments and members of the community, and a new separate decontamination room and gear-cleaning area.

“This is going to make a huge difference in getting this project done,” Dreiss said. “We’ve been saving for years, but things kept coming up that took money, like when our newest tanker went down. We’re trying to do as much as we can ourselves to save money, but this will make our money go further and help us get it done faster. This is a volunteer department, and it’s tough when we’re trying to work on the station after our regular jobs or we’ve been out working cattle or whatever all day.”

The expansion also means more space for training and community meetings, and firefighters will have their own lockers for storage instead of hanging their equipment on a hook on a wall. The new room upstairs will double as a bunk room and an obstacle course training room.

“That all works together to help us get out the door quicker,” Dreiss said. “Our goal is to be on the road ASAP when someone needs help, and this is a huge step in that direction.”

This is one of 41 grants recently awarded through LCRA Community Grants. These grants are awarded twice a year as part of LCRA’s effort to give back to communities in its wholesale electric, water, and transmission service areas.

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in July. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.

About LCRA

The Lower Colorado River Authority serves communities across Texas by managing the lower Colorado River, generating and transmitting wholesale electric power, providing clean water supplies, operating telecommunications infrastructure, and owning parks for outdoor recreation. LCRA delivers power, water and infrastructure that support the region’s growth and quality of life. 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. Created by the Texas Legislature in 1934, LCRA receives no state appropriations.

Contact Info

Clara Tuma
512-578-3292
[email protected]
After hours: 512-944-6719