Demand for fire services in rural Collin County is straining the resources of small fire departments

People who call 9-1-1 expect help to come quickly. But it could take a while for emergency services to reach rural areas in Collin County, where fire departments already have limited resources — and may not be able to help some people in need.

Blue Ridge has a population of approximately 1,000. It is less than two square kilometers in size. But the volunteer fire department serves 40 square miles of unincorporated land in Collin County, in addition to its own residents. These are mainly rural areas that are not incorporated into cities or villages. Blue Ridge, about 20 miles northeast of McKinney, answers 9-1-1 calls in unincorporated Collin County, extending to the borders of Fannin and Hunt County.

Collin County pays cities and towns like Blue Ridge to have their fire departments answer 9-1-1 calls in neighboring unincorporated areas. Blue Ridge City Clerk Edie Sims said what they get from the county isn't enough to meet the growing demand for services. She said the demand is putting a strain on the town's limited resources.

“We still have rock streets,” she said. “We still have many specific issues that we need to address in our city.”

Limited resources

Blue Ridge can't afford to pay its firefighters. The fire department depends on volunteers like Billy Dunn and Alyssa Phifer, who volunteer as ambulance drivers and firefighters elsewhere on their days off.

Outside the Blue Ridge Fire Station, Phifer flushes the truck's tank to make sure the water is clean. She works as a firefighter in Bonham – and that job is similar to what she does in Blue Ridge. But Phifer said the resources in the volunteer department are not the same.

The fire trucks used by Dunn and Phifer are old and require a lot of maintenance.

“We need to make sure we know how to solve problems,” she said. “If something goes wrong while we are on site, we need to know how to fix it.”

Blue Ridge recently spent $40,000 on repairs to an engine that was worth less than the cost of repairs. Another requires extra people because the brakes aren't the best.

“Her air brakes aren't working, so we have to have people come up and block the wheels so she doesn't roll away from the scene,” Dunn said.

But a new truck costs at least $2 million. Blue Ridge will receive $80,000 of the $1 million budget Collin County has set aside for fire services in unincorporated areas. The city spends about $44,000 annually on fire services. That funding covers fuel, utilities and insurance for the fire department.

The majority of 9-1-1 calls that Blue Ridge firefighters respond to occur in unincorporated areas. From Jan. 1 to Aug. 26, they responded to 194 calls for service in the unincorporated areas, compared to 80 calls in Blue Ridge.

Jason Brazil, Blue Ridge Fire Chief, said the long distances volunteers have to travel on county calls drives up fuel costs and increases wear and tear on the aging trucks.

“We are almost subsidizing the provincial calls with city money,” Brazil said.

He said the county has not increased the budget for fire services in the unincorporated areas in more than a decade.

Collin County Fire Chief Jason Browning said there is some extra money to pay for things along the way, such as money for a new digital radio system. But for the most part, the county's budget for fire services in unincorporated areas has remained at $1 million.

Browning said he has seen a lot of population growth in Collin County during his 12-year tenure as fire chief. He said this leads to an increase in demand for emergency aid.

“There are budgetary concerns because as we grow, we may no longer have the tools we need for the services,” Browning said.

More money from the county would make a difference for Blue Ridge. Brazil said it could afford much-needed new equipment or paid positions in the fire service. He said volunteers are burning out, which is impacting the fire department's ability to provide services.

“It's just a revolving door, and that's worrying because from one call to the next you never know how many are going to show up,” Brazil said.

But hiring paid staff for the fire department would cost at least $200,000 annually. And Sims said the city would need another $300,000 for equipment costs.

Answer the call

Unlike paid firefighters, volunteers with the Blue Ridge Fire Department do not have to spend their shifts at the station. Phifer and Dunn head home to their farm once they finish flushing the truck and coiling the hoses. They have to check their animals.

They have several sheep and goats, a pig named Bacon and ten horses, including one horse terribly interested in KERA recording equipment.

“He's trying to put it in his mouth!” Phifer said.

The ranch is also home to many dogs, two squirrels who live in a hamster cage in the living room and sometimes climb onto Phifer and Dunn's shoulders, and a female emu named Kevin who helps guard the sheep.

Phifer and Dunn carry their emergency radios as they check on the animals. It takes about eight minutes to get from the ranch to the fire station. They then have to drive to the call – which could be several miles away.

Dunn said every second counts in emergency situations.

“Fifteen minutes could be the difference between just your kitchen being on fire and us being able to go and save the house versus your whole house being on fire,” he said.

It may take a while to get back to Blue Ridge from some unincorporated areas. That means Blue Ridge citizens may have to wait for help from their own fire departments.

Melissa City Manager Jason Little said his city's fire department ran into the same problem. Melissa stopped serving the unincorporated areas earlier this month after terminating her contract with the county last year.

“It is impossible for one fire station to cover so many square miles and still be here for our community,” Little said.

Long-term solutions

Brazil said other cities are also considering pulling out unless they get more money from the province. He said the fire department doesn't want to stop helping people. But they need more help.

Denton County recently decided to restructure the way it approaches fire and emergency services in its unincorporated county areas. In the coming years, the county will take a more active role in providing fire and ambulance services in the unincorporated areas by redesignating it as the Denton County Emergency Response Area.

Brazil said Collin County should follow Denton's lead.

“What's going on there that they can afford it, but we here can't?” Brazil said. “Collin County is said to be one of the wealthiest counties in Texas, but we don't act on that.”

Collin County Administrator Yoon Kim said county commissioners recognize there is a problem and are exploring what solution would be best for the county.

“We want to do the right thing,” Kim said. “There are many models and many different ways this could go. But at this point we don't have a definitive policy yet.”

Until this is clear, volunteer firefighters like Dunn and Phifer will continue to use the resources at their disposal to respond to people's calls for help.

Do you have a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.

Caroline Love is one Report for America corps member for KERA News.

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