Dawson Williamson, the chief of the Ata-Bexar County Line Fire Department, said his firefighters and crews from other surrounding communities have been busy putting out fires.
“We’ve had multiple departments that have been constantly running, running, and running all week for the past couple of weeks,” Williamson said.
He explained battling fires is physically demanding by itself, but when you add 50 to 70 and even 100-plus pounds of gear and tools in Texas heat, firefighters can get drained fast.
“It’s so humid, so all that liquid and sweat you’re losing,” he said. “So we’re you know, we can go through a case within almost an hour to almost two hours.”
And just recently, they were praying their water supplies would hold a little longer.
“For almost four days straight we’ve had two cases, and we’re lucky what we survived on,” he said.
The department took to social media and called on the community for help to restock hydration supplies such as cases of bottled water, Gatorade, Powerade, ice and insulated water cooler jugs.
He said the public responded.
“We just had Amazon actually deliver some waters and Gatorades. We’ve had a company bring in two pallets (and) an electrical company out in Seguin that are going to be donating 84 cases of water,” Williamson listed.
He said the lion’s share of smaller volunteer fire department budgets goes to equipment and operations, meaning donations like bottled water can be a lifeline.
Williamson expressed tremendous gratitude for those who have donated supplies, calling their support and donations a huge blessing.
He stressed that the donations are not for his department alone. Hydration supplies will be shared with other fire departments in Lytle, Poteet, Black Hill, Charlotte, Christine, Leming and, if possible, other departments in Wilson County or Bexar County.
He said when his crews did not have water in the middle of an emergency, other departments shared their supplies.
“We want to give that back in return because they’re there for us and we’re going to be there for them,” Williamson said.
Next month, the Ata-Bexar County Line Fire Department will become an emergency service district (ESD) and will see a jump in funding, but Williamson said efforts like donations collection will continue.
He said donations are still being accepted.
Anyone who would like to donate is encouraged to call (210) 305-9880 to make sure someone is available to accept donations.
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