Cy-fair Edition | February 2021

PUBLIC SAFETY

Newfundsetsout tohelpCy-Fair reghters, departmentmembers

BY SHAWN ARRAJJ

Gates, two board members and volunteers with the Cy-Fair Depart- ment since the 1970s, the new fund is way to reward reghters for the sacrices they make every day. For some, those sacrices go back decades, Carvell said. “For those who served in the ‘70s and ‘80s, you made every [call],” he said. “You could not just go out and go camping with your kids because you would worry. You would not be able to enjoy yourself.” The new fund will raise money largely through fundraisers and donations, Gates said, and will not be funded by Harris County Emergency Services District No. 9. While the ESD pays for gear and equipment, the fund will help costs the ESD would not cover, including emergency medical costs or spe- cialty training. The fund was kicked o with a

The Cy-Fair Fire and Rescue Fund launched in January with the goal of providing nancial assistance to members of the Cy-Fair Fire Depart- ment—from help with emergency medical costs to scholarships through the Cy-Fair Education Foundation. The fund, the brainchild of members of the department’s board of directors, is open to all members, including ambulance providers, oce workers and reghters who are paid, part time or volunteers, board Director Terry Wheeler said. “What we really want to do is kind of ll in the holes where there [are] needs that sometimes come up with these folks that just can’t be met by an employer eectively,” Wheeler said. “We want to be able to come in and do some work that needs to be done for these heroic people.” For Robert Carvell and Glenn

Members of the Cy-Fair Fire Department respond to an accident on Brittmore Road in Cy- Fair on Jan. 8. (Courtesy Capt. Daniel Arizpe/Cy-Fair Fire Department)

THE MADNESS IS COMING... ARE YOU READY? $1,000 annual scholarship awarded through the Cy-Fair Education Foun- dation, Gates said. The endowment is available to department members or a benefactor, including children and grandchildren of members. Moving forward, Gates said board members will take applications in considering what causes to fund. A website is slated to launch in Febru- ary that will provide more informa- tion on how people can donate. When Gates rst started volunteer- ing in 1974, he said the department sustained itself on fundraisers and

money volunteers took from their own pockets. Since that time, ocials have formed ESD No. 9, which raises tax money for the department. In 2019, the department began the process of shifting from a primarily volunteer force to a primarily paid force. Over the years, Gates said volun- teers have always been driven by one main motivation: a devotion to keeping their community safe. “Anything to better the community with re and ambulance service has been our goal,” he said.

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CYFAIR EDITION • FEBRUARY 2021