LCRA, City of Llano award $13,265 grant to Llano County for emergency equipment

Nine new automated external defibrillators and first-aid kits will be added to public buildings across four communities

JUNE 6, 2024

LCRA and City of Llano representatives present a $13,265 grant to Llano County for new automated external defibrillators and first-aid kits. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program. Pictured, from left to right, are: Marquis Cantu, Llano County sheriff-elect; Cheryl Regmund, Llano County treasurer; Kelly Eckhardt, Llano County auditor; Cheryl Keep, Llano County grant administrator and chief deputy treasurer; Gilbert Bennett, Llano County emergency management coordinator; Carol Freeman, LCRA Board member; Ron Cunningham, Llano County judge; Margaret D. “Meg” Voelter and Michael L. “Mike” Allen, LCRA Board members; Kim Wagner, Llano city secretary; Martin “Marty” Mangum, Llano city manager; Susan Patten, LCRA Regional Affairs representative; and Kevin Tisdell, Hamilton EMS district chief.
LLANO, Texas – A $13,265 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and the City of Llano will help add nine new external defibrillators and first-aid kits to various public buildings in Kingsland, Llano, Buchanan Dam and Horseshoe Bay.

The LCRA Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $3,316 in matching funds from the county, will add the lifesaving devices and kits to public buildings residents frequently visit.

Llano County Emergency Management Coordinator Gilbert Bennett said placing the AEDs and first‑aid kits in public buildings means they will be available where they are most needed to save a life.

“Places like libraries and the courthouse annex receive visitors on a regular basis, and we also will place an AED and first-aid kit with the county’s Road and Bridge Department,” Bennett said. “Because that department has about 20 people working around the county, their AED will be portable so a manager can take it with them in case it’s needed for an employee or anyone close to where they are working.”

Bennett said that 1,700 lives are saved each year by bystanders using an AED.

“I’m a 30-year paramedic, and I still get excited about buying and placing devices like AEDs in locations where the public has access to them,” he said. “This grant is money spent in the right direction to meet an important need that helps us take care of one another and make Llano County a better place to live, work and play.”

The community grant is one of 44 grants awarded recently through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund 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. The City of Llano 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.

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Clara Tuma, Public Information Officer
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