The Blanco County Emergency Services Auxiliary was founded in Fall of 2018 and is a 501 (c) (3) to help lessen the burden of the Blanco County Emergency Services District No. 2 (ESD2).

The mission statement states the “primary purpose of the Blanco County Emergency Services Auxiliary is to reduce the burden of the Blanco County Emergency District No. 2 by increasing public awareness of and raising funds for the District, provide community education in fire safety and wellness, and providing food and water for emergency workers at prolonged incident sites.”

Specifically, the organization raises funds through donations and grants to provide the equipment that is not covered in the ESD2 budget. ESD2 currently receives 10 cents for every $100 in property valuation and this does not cover all the equipment needed. In the 2019-2020 fiscal year, the auxiliary focused on providing crews with Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems and Point of Care (POC) labs for the ambulances. These POC labs allow for testing to be done prior to arrival at the hospital which is necessary since hospitals are approximately an hour away from Blanco.

There are two major fundraisers that are put on by the auxiliary each year. On Oct. 31, 2019, the auxiliary hosted a Halloween Burger Booo Drive Thru and served hamburgers, chips, water and treats for $7. The event was so successful that they sold out of food. In 2020, the fundraiser events included the annual fish fry and the Hill Country Heartbeat 5K run. Unfortunately, the events have been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fish fry raffle was still held via Facebook Live. Donations are always appreciated and welcomed year round.

The organization assists in community awareness through their website, supportblancofireems.org and Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/BlancoFireEMSAuxiliary/. Fire Prevention Week is also celebrated with the community each year. ESD2 firefighters will often be found teaching fire safety at the schools during that week.

“We have also formed three teams to assist our emergency crews with food and water should there be a prolonged emergency; as of yet, we have not had to call up our teams,” said Caroline Richardson, president. CPR classes for the community have been discussed for the future.

Any member of the community is invited to join the auxiliary and there are no fees to join. There is a five member board, and these members are appointed by the ESD2 commissioners. Volunteers are always welcomed and needed. There are no volunteer hours required. Additional information can be found at the auxiliary’s website.