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Commissioners consider doubling monthly stipends for volunteer fire departments, discuss oversight and EMS gaps
Summary
Van Zandt County commissioners discussed a proposal to raise volunteer fire department stipends from about $600 to $1,200 per month, asked for activity reporting, and debated using surplus county vehicles to support first-responder capacity amid concerns over EMS coverage contracts.
Van Zandt County commissioners discussed a proposal to increase monthly payments to volunteer fire departments and considered noncash options to support emergency response capacity.
The county currently provides roughly $600 per month to participating volunteer fire departments; staff presented a proposal to increase that amount to $1,200. Commissioners said they would like the county to set modest reporting requirements tied to funding — for example, activity levels, number of calls dispatched, or similar metrics — but said the reporting should not be overly burdensome.
Commissioners and staff also discussed the contractual EMS arrangement with CHRISTUS. Presenters said CHRISTUS had been contractually obligated to post an ambulance in Precinct 2 but had not posted a staffed ambulance since the 2019 contract; in some areas CHRISTUS instead deploys a non-transport “Q1” medical response unit housed at a station. Commissioners said the Q1 can provide on-scene treatment but cannot transport patients and that local volunteer departments often provide first-response assistance.
County leaders raised the possibility of transferring surplus county vehicles — older marked Tahoes from the sheriff’s fleet — to volunteer departments for use as command or first-response vehicles. Commissioners said transfers would be contingent on a department demonstration of need, appropriate training for personnel (EMT/paramedic) and that vehicles be used for official response activities.
No formal funding increase was approved at the workshop; commissioners asked staff to draft grant or stipend-reporting templates and to return with implementation options and cost impacts for the fall budget hearings.
