FACING EVERYDAY CHALLENGES TOGETHER • Jarrell Fire & Rescue

Linda A. Thornton • photos courtesy Jarrell Fire Dept

Jarrell Fire & Rescue provides fire, rescue, and emergency medical first responder service to 75-square miles of north Williamson County. On September 11 last year, the new west side location opened at 212 North Fifth Street, the same location as the city’s original volunteer station.

WHAT IT TAKES

A career as a firefighter requires four months of fire training, one month of emergency medical technician training, a written exam, physical agility test, and an interview. Candidates may start their career at age 18, and there is no retirement mandate as long as personnel are able to maintain the necessary physical ability. After three years active service, firefighters may move up to driver/ engineer and promotions to lieutenant and captain require an additional three years of service, along with a written exam.

Jarrell firefighters work two 24-hour days on and four days off, with seven firefighters on each shift — 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. According to Chief Ron Stewart, the highest performing fire departments are those in which the personnel share the daily ritual of shopping, cooking, and eating meals together. Everyone pitches in and, naturally, there are no complaints when the good cooks take over. He says, “Many problems are solved around the dinner table.”

Back at the station, the excitement continues as the department prepares for Jarrell’s growth. For the first time in its history, plans for elevated hotels and apartment buildings above two stories are in the works, resulting in the purchase of its first fire truck with an aerial ladder.

HOW TO HELP

Chief Stewart recommends that each household be proactive and complete a form on the Community Connect website (scan code below). This provides the department with critical information when called to your location mobility issues, pets, medication, and property. The information for this voluntary program is stored on a secure encrypted website.

THE BROTHERHOOD

When 24-year-old firefighter Jake Owen was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor, Jarrell Fire & Rescue’s initial feelings of helplessness soon turned into a show of strength and support. Nearly all of his coworkers have proudly displayed their newly shaved heads, a gesture that quickly gained attention and earned them an appearance on a local TV station and a segment on "Good Morning America".

Plus, to ensure Jake never misses a paycheck, his fellow firefighters signed up to work extra shifts for free and donated their sick days. His father Craig, also a firefighter, has experienced similar support from his Georgetown brethren, making it easier for him to be at Jake’s bedside in a Houston hospital as often as possible.

Like the firefighters, the community’s reputation for showing up for its neighbors never seems to disappoint. Jake’s GoFundMe page quickly met its initial goal of $10,000 and now stands at $38,000, so the family is trying to meet a new goal of $40,000.

Jake’s illness also had an impact on Chief Stewart’s daughter, Skylar, who is about Jake’s age. She designed and sold 50 T-shirts in Jake’s honor and donated $4,400 to the fund. Scan the code to donate to Jake's GoFundMe page.