LCRA, City of Brady award $4,975 grant to McCulloch County for emergency response equipment

County to provide automated external defibrillators to five volunteer fire departments

May 15, 2020

BRADY, Texas – A $4,975 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and the City of Brady will help McCulloch County provide automated external defibrillators to five volunteer fire departments throughout the county.

The Community Development Partnership Program grant ensures the volunteer fire departments, whose firefighters often are the first responders to arrive at the scene of an emergency, will each have its own portable AED.

“This grant is a blessing and will help save lives,” McCulloch County Judge Bill Spiller said. “So often our first responders do not have the necessary lifesaving equipment they need to do their jobs, and it is so important to help them.”

The new AEDs will be available 24/7 for emergency calls to the Voca, Rochelle, Placid, Lohn and Melvin volunteer fire departments. The remaining volunteer fire department in the county, Brady VFD, shares its resources with the Brady Fire Department and currently has access to AEDs. The county has an estimated population of nearly 8,000.

“Without this grant we would have to go without for a while,’’ Spiller said. “It’s like manna from heaven. There are not a lot of extras out here in the country, and this will help us enhance the services we are able to provide.”

The community grant is one of 28 grants awarded recently through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which provides economic development and community assistance grants to cities, counties, volunteer fire departments, regional development councils and other nonprofit organizations in LCRA’s wholesale electric and water service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. The City of Brady is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and a partner in the grant program.

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted July 1-31. 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. For more information, visit lcra.org.

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