New Medic Station Measures Up to Liberty Hill’s Growth

by Linda Thornton

With its humble beginnings as a small group of committed volunteers, Liberty Hill Fire Station 2 has grown right in line with the area’s population – enough to warrant the addition of a new medic station. Established in 2001 with Emergency Service District funding, they hired their first full time firefighters in 2003 who each worked as a one-man crew alongside volunteers.

Growing With The City

In 2018, Liberty Hill Fire Station 2 was built at 22799 Ronald Reagan Boulevard. It now supports a team of 48 firefighters, divided into three shifts of 16 members each, along with an administrative staff of nine. Additionally, Williamson County EMS recently introduced a medic station at this location.

Covering 126 square miles that include all of Liberty Hill and sections of Burnet, Georgetown and Leander, Williamson County ESD #4 has experienced a population swell since 2020. In Santa Rita Ranch alone, the population has increased by about 85 percent to a current population of 4,145.

RAPID REPONSES

The fire department’s vehicle tracking system assigns the closest ambulance to a call. At times, this could mean firefighters traveling out of their district, if need be. Fire Chief Anthony Lincoln says 35 percent of the time, calls are double-stacked, with ambulances receiving two calls at the same time to two different locations.

In an effort to improve response times, the new medic station was a welcome and necessary addition. Funding of $1 million was allocated to finance an ambulance and support two paramedics available around the clock. Following the initial investment, annual operating costs of $800,000 will be absorbed into the general fund budget. Williamson County EMS took charge of hiring and training the medics, while Fire Station 2 was equipped to provide living quarters and office space. The station was thoughtfully designed with future expansion in mind, capable of accommodating up to 10 personnel.

Though all firefighters are trained as emergency medical technicians (EMTs), Chief Lincoln says having a dedicated ambulance and two 24/7 paramedics is a game changer. These pre-hospital clinicians are the first on scene to triage a health care crisis and are a critical component of the emergency management system of a coordinated response. Their 9-1-1 calls may be as simple as transporting a person to the ER who is not feeling well, as grave as cardiac arrest or a car accident, and everything in between.

Having just celebrated a ribbon cutting for the new medic station on April 11, Liberty Hill is not resting on its laurels. The county plans to open another fire station in April 2025 and has already purchased land for two more, with a total of 10 to 12 stations anticipated to meet Liberty Hill’s future growth.