Tow VFD secures $25K for rescue boat
The Tow Volunteer Fire Department received a $25,000 grant from the LCRA to fund a rescue boat. Pictured (from left) are VFD President and Assistant Fire Chief Tim Hackney, Secretary-Treasurer and Fire Chief Josh Becker, LCRA board member Margaret Voelter, LCRA General Manager Phil Wilson, LCRA board members Michael Allen and Carol Freeman, LCRA Regional Affairs representative Susan Patten, and Lakeway Municipal Utility District General Manager Earl Foster. Photo courtesy of LCRA
The Tow Volunteer Fire Department in Llano County can soon deploy a shallow-water rescue boat on Lake Buchanan, funded in part by a $25,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority. Matched with $17,000 from the VFD, the boat will enable faster responses to water emergencies, a critical capability given the heavy recreational use of the lake.
“We can’t do anything on the water without a boat,” said Tim Hackney, president and assistant fire chief of Tow VFD, in a recent media release. “We’ve previously relied on mutual aid for emergencies on the lake, and the closest department is about 15 minutes away. So by the time they’re able to get to us, there is a significant amount of time lost in situations where every second counts. ”
The boat will serve Tow and nearby communities, including Buchanan Lake Village, Paradise Point, and Shaw Island, where lake activity spikes an estimated 90 percent on weekends and holidays.
“Having this rescue boat stationed on Lake Buchanan is a game changer,” LCRA General Manager Phil Wilson said in the media release.
The grant is one of 37 recently awarded through the LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which funds emergency and community initiatives each year.