Marble Falls Fire Rescue growing with city and number of calls

Marble Falls firefighters display some of the lifesaving equipment packed onto their fire engine. New recruit Justin McPherson (left, with machine) holds a Jaws-of-Life tool, which is used to pry open warped metal from car accidents. Capt. Jeff Beltran (right, with machine) holds another set used to snip through metal. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
Marble Falls Fire Rescue saw an 11 percent increase in call volume from 2023 to 2024, hired three new firefighters, and should have a new fire engine and renovated fire station in 2025.
According to department leadership, there’s likely no end in sight to the growth as long as Marble Falls continues to boom.
“It’s no secret that our area is growing, and so the result of that is that the number of incidents we respond to is increasing as well,” Capt. Jeff Beltran told the Marble Falls City Council during the fire department’s 2024 review on Tuesday, Jan. 7.
The department responded to 2,349 calls in 2024, which comes out to an average of 6.4 calls a day. According to Beltran, 20 percent of those calls were overlapping, meaning fire crews were being toned out multiple times simultaneously for one out of every five calls.
“We don’t see (the growth in call volume) stopping. We’re forecasting and projecting to see 2,500 calls a year in 2025,” he said. “We don’t see (the number of overlapping calls) slowing down either.”
The 2024 call volume is up 11 percent from 2023 (2,118 calls) and 18 percent from 2022 (1,997 calls). Call volume growth has actually outpaced population growth in Marble Falls, which rose 13 percent from 7,423 in 2022 to 8,395 in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
To keep up with the current and projected growth, Marble Falls Fire Rescue brought on three new firefighters using a Department of Homeland Security grant.
The new hires have a collective 13 years’ experience and bring the department’s operational staff to 18, meaning each fire shift has one additional firefighter for a total of six per shift.
“In my opinion, this is one of the strongest hiring classes we’ve had in quite some time,” said Beltran, who has been with the department for nine years.
MFFR still leans on other local agencies, including the Marble Falls Volunteer Fire Department, Granite Shoals Fire Rescue, Horseshoe Bay Fire Department, and Burnet Fire & EMS, when calls overlap or during particularly critical situations.
One such instance occurred Jan. 8, when the Marble Falls department responded to a blaze on Bluebonnet Drive that severely damaged a duplex and displaced two families. Crews from the Granite Shoals and Horseshoe Bay departments helped battle the blaze.
“(Marble Falls) is a great supporter of the fire department, and we do our best to keep up with the amount of calls that are coming in,” Beltran told DailyTrib.com just hours before his crews responded to the duplex fire. “Fortunately, we have some great agencies around us so that, when we have a little bit more than we can handle, we can rely on them.”
In addition to the new staff, Marble Falls Fire Rescue should have another fire engine online by the end of March, bringing its total vehicle fleet to five. A major makeover of the main fire station, 700 Avenue N, should be done by the end of January.
A longer-term project is building a second fire station at the south city limits, which could be operational by late 2026 or early 2027.
“Thank you for your continued support,” said Beltran, addressing Marble Falls residents. “We’re doing the best we can to keep you safe and make you feel that we’re always around.”
Learn more about your blaze-battling public servants in The Picayune Magazine story Firefighters find fraternity at Marble Falls department.