Hutto Fire Department struggles to keep up with growing city
By JESSICA VESS
KVUE News
The Hutto Fire Department struggles to keep up with the demands of the growing community, but can’t get the money to add on to its staff.
There are typically just five firefighters that are on duty at any given time. The five man crew usually handles most of the calls that come into the department which are EMS related. It’s when there’s a fire that they need more help and some residents are noticing.
“I don’t think it’s enough,” said Hutto homeowner, Jerry Gibson.
Gibson moved to Hutto when it was still a small country town of a couple of thousand residents. Now the city’s Web site shows more than 28,000 people call Hutto home. He wonders if five firefighters can do the job.
“I think we need more than that. It’s getting bigger around here and the houses are so close together where if we did have a fire, they’re pretty close, if they didn’t get there in time you could loose a whole block,” said Gibson.
Fire Chief Mark Moellenberg says the department doesn’t have enough money right now to add more firefighters. Instead, it relies on backup from Taylor, Round Rock, and Pflugerville.
“We call for help a lot,” said Chief Moellenberg.
The department has to rely on a separate county tax for Emergency Service Districts (ESDs) to pay its bills and its payroll.
“We do not compete for our tax dollars with the (City of Hutto) Parks with the (Hutto) Police or (Hutto) EMS or the (Hutto) garbage service. Our 10 cents is what we have to run the dept,” said Chief Moellenberg.
That’s 10 cents for every $100.00 collected from property taxes.
“That’s a very small percentage compared to most municipal fire deptartments and what they’re funded by,” said Chief Moellenberg.
Despite the staffing struggle the department has been able to handle most of its calls.
“We’ve had a situation at our house. They came immediately,” said Hutto homeowner, Melissa Pollins.
Pollins had a small fire at her home last year. The crew knocked it out by themselves.
“I think they’re doing the best they can with what they have to work with, but of course, if everything else is growing, maybe they should grow too,” said Pollins.
The funding problem is something a lot of Emergency Service Districts are facing; especially in areas where the towns are growing quickly. Chief Moellenberg says it’s up to state legislatures to decide if the ESDs will get more funding. Right now, there are no plans for any change.
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