First responders and emergency services within the area have been able to continue their important work thanks to support from the Rusk County Emergency Service District (ESD) No. 1 and its dedicated Board of Directors.

Serving as a taxing district to support emergency services, the Rusk County Emergency Services District contracts with 14 volunteer fire departments, alongside the Kilgore and Rusk County Rescue Units. 

RCESD1 functions on an ad valorem tax levy (also known as a property tax).

The Rusk County ESD made annual funding payments to the departments that totaled $340,000, and quarterly run and incentive payments in the amount of $137,200. Eleven departments were fully funded at $20,000 each at the beginning of the year, and five departments were funded at $25,000.  The departments funding schedule is based on call volume and response. 

The total amount of direct funding to departments in 2023 was $1,010,538.65. The ESD also provided $96,187.26 in funding to the Fire Marshal - Emergency Management Coordinator's office in 2023. In addition to these direct payments, the Rusk County ESD also provided ten of the volunteer departments with workers’ comp insurance, property insurance, general liability and full coverage vehicle insurance at a cost of $161,319.

The ESD ordered a new water tender for the Mt. Enterprise Volunteer Fire Department and a new brush/rescue truck for the Eastside VFD. Delivery on both of these trucks is expected by the end of this year.

The ESD also provided the Kilgore Fire Department with a cost share on a new engine in the amount of $110,000, a cost share with the Kilgore Rescue Unit on a new brush truck, and will provide the Henderson Fire Department with a new Dodge chassis to be built out into a new brush truck for use throughout the county.

In addition to the apparatus purchases, the board also purchased ISO equipment, bunker gear, SCBA (Self-contained breathing apparatus) cylinders, foam, Lifeline CPR devices and paid for building repairs and vehicle repairs for departments.

In June 2023 the ESD board, with the support of the departments, approved moving into the TxWARN Radio system. The board has purchased 161 handheld multi-band radios, 95 single band mobile radios and 150 digital pagers for county fire departments at a cost of a little over $1,200,000.

Rusk County ESD is also moving forward with transitioning its south tower to an outside source which will provide a taller tower, better coverage and the possibility of making it a TxWARN site for the south end of the county. They will maintain their current VHF radio infrastructure for the foreseeable future as a backup system. This increase in coverage will also benefit the Rusk County law enforcement and their ability to communicate effectively in the south end of the county.

The ESD also launched a successful campaign for a sales and use tax in the unincorporated areas of Rusk County. While funding won’t be available until summer, the plan is to use these funds for recruitment, training and further improvements to the communications system.

In this reporting year alone, departments operating in the county answered 2,632 calls, the majority of which were grass/wildland fires, motor vehicle accidents, medical/first responder calls and structure fires. There are currently 177 volunteer firefighters in the county as compared to 170 last year. The fire marshal responded to 259 calls in 2023 and conducted 28 structure fire investigations and two vehicle fire investigations, issued 18 burn ban violations and answered a variety of public service calls in the county.

The ESD’s remodel project of the training facility on Whippoorwill Avenue in Henderson is scheduled for completion in July of this year. The final steps of the project for landscaping and a refresh of the parking lot are due to be completed in mid-July. Like everyone else, anticipated delays due to supply chain issues and labor issues currently impact the building industry.

The board said they are committed to pushing forward with the project as the need for the facility has grown stronger over the past year.

They continue to express their heartfelt gratitude to the many brave, unselfish, committed men and women who provide an invaluable service to the residents of Rusk County.