Texas Volunteer Fire Departments Carry On Despite Some Hardships

Nov. 20--Manpower shortages and adequate funding are among the two key issues volunteer fire departments face in Ector County as several authorities spoke of the challenges they face in providing fire protection in rural areas outside of the Odessa city limits.

Most of the volunteer fire departments manage to eke out their operations during the year through donations or through the assistance of neighboring fire departments. But some are forced to function on a shoestring budget, or with crew members who can't otherwise devote a lot of time, veteran volunteer firefighters have said.

Fire Chief Jimmy Ellis can attest to this. Ellis, of the West Odessa Volunteer Fire Department, said that the chronic lack of available people to volunteer, not to mention adequate funding, has become a problem. Ellis, who works for Ector County in the public works department, said he is grateful to Odessa Fire/Rescue because "they help us out" through a mutual aid agreement.

Ellis also said he's grateful to the City of Odessa, which approved Nov. 8 the donation of a 2005 Ford F-250 crew cab truck with more than 49,000 miles on it and carries an estimated value of $14,000.

But the lingering problem for the department remains the issue of manpower, Ellis said.

"If I get five or six (volunteer firefighters to show up to a fire call), I'd be happy," Ellis said, adding that his department has responded to about 1,800 calls this year and provides fire protection to about 419 square miles.

Out-of-pocket expenses have amounted to about $4,000 so far this year, said Ellis, who pointed out that while his 37-year-old department receives a monthly stipend from Ector County of about $10,000, it is "not near enough."

"Donations help a lot. It just helps to keep us going," Ellis said. "In the end we all got to do what it takes to get the job done."

Ellis, 56, spent more than 30 years with the volunteer fire department before his retirement in 2013. Ellis said that in spite of the hardships his department faces he still commits himself to responding to calls because for him it's virtually a calling. But he unretired, right?

"It's hard to say, but the plain thing is to help out anyone," Ellis said when asked why he continues to remain a volunteer firefighter. "The feeling you get is indescribable."

Marvin Jennings, fire chief of the Gardendale Volunteer Fire Department, echoed those sentiments. But while the lack of manpower hasn't been too great of an issue at his 18-member department, Jennings cited funding as an ongoing concern.

"The money is an uphill struggle," Jennings said. "You never have enough for everything you need. You rely a lot on donations."

Like the West Odessa Volunteer Department, Odessa city leaders also approved Nov. 8 the donation of a 2002 Freightliner tanker truck with nearly 44,600 miles on it and has tanker with a 3,000-gallon capacity to help buoy the department in times when it responds to fire-related calls, Jennings said. The tanker truck carries an estimated value of $40,000.

Jennings was so moved by Odessa's gesture that he told the council during the meeting that his department's prayers have "been answered."

The Gardendale Volunteer Fire Department operates annually on a $15,000 budget. In spite of such big-ticket donations the department receives, it still has to insure its vehicles, covering electrical and air conditioning expenses and fund the maintenance of its firefighting vehicles and equipment.

And the money it receives from Ector County doesn't go far enough in covering those expenses, Jennings said. The department has responded to about 189 calls this year, 80 percent of which consisted of medical aid calls.

Assistant Chief Justin Richardson notes that funding is often a challenge but, like Jennings, he continues to stick with volunteering his time for fire protection. Richardson, who was a candidate this year for Ector County Precinct 2 Constable, explained that his oil field job is flexible enough to allow him to head out to emergencies.

"I'm giving back to the community," Richardson said.

Jennings said he still finds time in his schedule to continue his level of volunteerism despite his busy life. Aside from running a business, Jennings is a vice president of the local water board and a lay pastor at his church, he said.

Asked why Jennings continues being a volunteer firefighter, he said, "I think (it's) the feeling I get when I go help someone. I just enjoy doing it."

Shaun Oglesby, assistant chief of the Goldsmith Volunteer Fire Department, said that while it's hard for all of his volunteer firefighters to take time off from their full-time jobs to head out to a major emergency, they can still break free long enough to do what they can.

Currently, Oglesby said his department is applying for a $150,000 state grant for the purchase of a new fire truck. Making ends meet with the $1,000 the department receives from the county every month can be an issue, Oglesby said.

"Money is a real challenge," Oglesby said. "We really don't have a lot of issues that come," said Oglesby, who mentioned that his department responded to as many as 75 calls over the course of 11 months. "They include medical aids, car wrecks, structure fires, and oil field fires and grass fires."

John Bell, assistant fire chief of the South Ector County Volunteer Fire Department, said he also enjoys helping out the community but explained that getting people to commit to what they signed up for can be a challenge for the department that was founded in 1981.

"The commitment is a huge factor," said Bell, who added that would-be volunteers realize in training or during two-hour meetings that occur three times a month that firefighting might not be for them. While the volunteer department receives about $18,000 a year from the Ector County Commissioners' Court, trying to cover all its expenses is taxing, Bell said. Bell's volunteer fire department consists of 19 or 20 members and his department receives the second highest level of funding in Ector County.

The South Ector County Volunteer Fire Department covers 196 square miles from South Loop 338 to the county line, and sometimes goes as far east as Midland County, Bell said.

Like other volunteer firefighters before him, Bell said he values what he does when he's not working.

"I've always wanted to help the community," Bell said.

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