Cooke County —
When a fire breaks out in your home, it is almost expected the fire department will be there to help.
But what happens when you live outside town? Or when a grass fire gets too large for the city to handle?
The city’s fire department resources are such that they can’t rescue an entire county.
And this is the case in many areas around the country. According to the National Fire Protection Agency, it’s the reason 71 percent of the firefighters in the nation are volunteers.
Among Cooke County cities there are 11 volunteer fire departments: Lindsay, Oak Ridge, Callisburg, Valley View, Era, Rosston, Lake Kiowa, Myra, North Shore, Moss Lake and Muenster.
“We rely on volunteer departments as our initial backup,” said Gainesville Fire Department Assistant Chief Wally Cox. “We rely on them quite a bit. Lindsay is one of the first ones we call. They all are a big help — and as far as the county goes, they are a integral part because we can’t cover the entire county.”
According to Cox, the Gainesville Fire Department has a total of three locations which average anywhere from 10 to 11 employees per station.
The reason volunteer fire departments are so beneficial is because the men and women who serve take all of the same risks as professional officers while serving only as volunteers.
“We serve because it gives us a sense of community service,” said Bill Tackett, North Shore Volunteer Fire Department chief and president of the Cooke County Fire Fighters Association. “If you have ever fought a fire, it gets in your blood.”
His department, located in the far southern corner of Cooke County, was created two years ago. The closest department was in Valley View, at least 15 minutes away from the region.
Adding this new department provided the area with faster response times and more assistance.
“I moved here from Plano,” said Richard Hicks, North Shore department volunteer and financial secretary. “There you pay your taxes and expect a fire truck or EMS. Living out here, if you want something like that, you almost have to be a part of it.”
At this station, there are 17 volunteers. Of that number, there are three who are paid firefighters: they also work in other departments such as Denton. Three of the North Shore volunteers are women.
“Everyone here has a full time job, Tackett said. “There is no money to be made. We just give our time.”
But joining the team is fairly easy. Becoming a volunteer firefighter requires no official certification. Tackett said the department does all of its own training and works with other departments training programs. The education roster includes classes with Homeland Security, the Texas Forestry Service and online programs. Each candidate is required to undergo a screening process and pay dues.
Money is certainly always a defining factor. These local volunteer fire departments receive minimal funds from the county, generally operating on $7,500 each year. But according to Tackett, most of this is eaten away by insurance costs.
And Hicks said the department often runs under a deficit. He explained the cost of running the North Shore operation is anywhere from $13,000 to $56,000 a year.
This means his department, much like others in Cooke County, tries to recoup costs through annual and semi-annual fundraisers.
“It is becoming increasingly more difficult to operate,” Hicks said.
Features
Related Photos
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Volunteering at the North Shore Fire Department seems to run in the Tackett family. Chief Bill Tackett (right) is pictured with his granddaughter Brynn Tackett (center) and his wife Liz Tackett (left). Bill and his wife both volunteer at the North Shore location along with their son. Photo by Heather Pilkington
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Volunteer fire departments help keep county safe
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