Downtown Bastrop fire station now manned 24 hours a day

Austin American-Statesman (TX)

The Bastrop Fire Department is firming up its plan to transform its downtown fire station into an overnight lodge for its new cast of around-the-clock firefighters.

Beginning on Feb. 1, the Bastrop Fire Department became a 24-hour operation after this fiscal year's budget funded an overnight shift for part-time firefighters at the downtown station.

"It's a huge step for us," said Bastrop Fire Chief Andres Rosales.

However, both of the department's stations -- located downtown and near Tahitian Village -- lack the accommodations for overnight stays, such as showers and sleeping rooms.

Upgrades to accommodate overnight stays at the downtown station were estimated to cost $65,000. But because Fire Department staff and volunteers will be putting in most of the labor, the total cost was reduced significantly, officials said.

McCoy's Building Supply is donating $6,000 worth of lumber for the project; Lowe's Home Improvement is donating $3,500 worth of sheet rock; and Ellis Insulation has offered $3,000 of spray-in insulation. The city of Bastrop will cover $10,000 for mechanical, electrical and plumbing upgrades.

"We anticipated this was going to be a $65,000 project, and we got it down to about $12,000 in donations, and the rest is labor," Rosales said.

The department will hold two construction days in which staff, volunteer firefighters and volunteer contractors will knock down walls to construct four sleeping quarters, make kitchen upgrades and install a shower. The construction days, which have not yet been scheduled but will take place before April 1, are open to public volunteers.

The project will be a key step in the evolution of the Fire Department while other larger steps are on hold. The city was developing a strategic plan that proposed building a new fire station and potentially adding more staff until Bastrop City Manager Lynda Humble abruptly resigned last month.

"(A new station) was what we were getting ready to focus on -- where would one best be located? How does it meet our insurance ratings?" Rosales said. "We need to look at all that in a holistic view to know where it's going to go."

Personally, Rosales said he'd prefer to see a station built on the west side of town, where current response times are a little higher.

"It's challenging when traffic is backed up or with traffic delays," he said. "When majority of the residential properties are on that side of the river and we don't have anything on that side, it makes it a challenge for us."

Another goal the department has identified this year is to decrease response times, which will be possible thanks to the new 24-hour staffing. In 2019, the average response time was 6 minutes during the daytime. The department hopes to keep it the same or bring it down to 5 minutes.

Last year, when the department had no nighttime staffing, the average response time at night was 12 minutes -- the time it took volunteer firefighters to drive from their home, to the station, and then to the scene, Rosales said. With new staffing, they hope to cut that in half this year.

"When the tone goes out, the volunteer has to drive from his house or work, get his gear, then go on the call," Rosales explained. "Paid staff is already there. All they do is get in the truck and leave."

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