Citizens in Guadalupe County now have full-time fire protection and emergency services from the county’s fire department.
As of Thursday at midnight, Guadalupe County Fire Rescue has three full-time firemen per shift providing 24/7 coverage, 365 days a year, according to Guadalupe County Fire Marshal and Emergency Management Coordinator Patrick Pinder.
The department covers a little over 36 square miles or about 23,000 acres.
“The new staffing schedule will increase fire protection for all residents in the county,” Pinder said.
Guadalupe County Fire Rescue was established by the Guadalupe County Commissioners Court and first staffed in 2021 with one part-time fire administrator, one full-time lieutenant and one full-time firefighter and provided coverage Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
In the last few months, GCFR has hired another fire lieutenant, three fire apparatus operators and two more full-time firefighters. The department now has 10 full-time employees and about 10 more part-time employees.
In the last year, the county has purchased two first-responder vehicles, four fire trucks, a water tender truck and a type-3 brush truck.
Guadalupe County Fire Rescue is now a full-time department as of Dec. 29, 2022. (Guadalupe County Fire Rescue)
The county has plans to expand even further and is currently searching for properties to build three fire stations. Currently, the department is housed in a temporary location across from the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office.
The county still funds the volunteer fire departments that provide service in the area, but the establishment of the GCFR means their response areas have been reduced.
The GCFR is focused primarily on responding to calls along Highway 46 between Seguin and New Braunfels and a portion near Interstate 10 where the county has seen the majority of growth but will be utilized wherever they are needed in the county, including assisting in Schertz and Cibolo, Pinder said.