LCRA, Bluebonnet Electric Co-op award $24,400 grant to Bastrop County First Responders

Cardiac monitors, other emergency equipment will help responders provide critical medical care before ambulances arrive

NOV. 1, 2024

BASTROP, Texas – A $24,400 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative will enable the Bastrop County First Responders nonprofit organization to purchase 10 cardiac monitors/defibrillators and other emergency equipment to provide medical care before ambulances arrive.

Bastrop County First Responders is a volunteer organization of 45 licensed EMTs and paramedics stationed throughout the county. Members respond to emergencies in their personal vehicles and provide care for the sick and injured until an ambulance arrives.

“Our responders are trained to provide high-level care and often arrive on the scene within minutes,” said Preston McGrew, vice president of the first responders’ organization. “But without proper equipment, they’ve been limited in the support they can provide.’’

The grant, along with $6,100 in matching funds from the first responders, will allow the group to purchase cardiac monitors/defibrillators and 15 intraosseous devices, which provide a hollow needle that can be inserted into bone marrow for infusion of medication or fluids in emergency situations.

“Without enough cardiac monitors and other intraosseous devices, we’ve been limited to basic interventions,” McGrew said. “With this grant, we’ll finally have the tools to deliver comprehensive life support in the crucial minutes before an ambulance arrives.”

LCRA General Manager Phil Wilson said the new equipment greatly expands the organization’s ability to care for patients in life-threatening situations.

“Getting an ambulance to some rural areas can sometimes take 15, 20 or even 30 minutes or more,” Wilson said. “The new equipment will help the volunteer first responders better assess and stabilize patients quickly, providing more immediate care and comfort while waiting on an ambulance to provide additional care and transport to a hospital. We strongly support first responders and are honored to be able to assist in providing additional lifesaving equipment to this team.”

The community grant is one of 37 grants awarded recently through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund eligible capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program.

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in January. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.

About LCRA

The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; providing a clean, reliable water supply; and offering outdoor adventures at more than 40 parks along the Colorado River from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA and its employees are committed to fulfilling our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Texans we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934 and receives no state appropriations.

About Bluebonnet

Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of the largest electric cooperatives in Texas and has been serving its members since 1939. Bluebonnet serves more than 135,000 meters and owns and maintains 13,000 miles of power lines, located across more than 3,800 square miles within 14 Central Texas counties. Bluebonnet’s service area stretches from Travis County to Washington County, and from Milam County to Gonzales County. For more information about Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, go to bluebonnet.coop and follow the co-op on Facebook and X/Twitter.

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