LCRA, Bluebonnet Electric Co-op award $27,690 grant for helicopter landing pad

CALDWELL COUNTY, TX

    The Delhi Volunteer Fire Department soon will construct a concrete helicopter landing pad adjacent to the fire station near Rosanky, thanks to a $27,690 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative.

     The community grant, along with $7,386 in matching funds from the VFD, will pay for a 40’x40’ helipad to provide transport helicopters with a safe, permanent landing location with aviation lighting.

     “We average about one air transport every eight weeks, and a lot of those transports are happening at night,” said Danney Rodgers, fire chief. “Our department services a pretty remote and rural side of Caldwell County, and we’re often responding to situations that require emergency transport via helicopter. With a growing population in the Delhi VFD service area and no additional trauma centers being constructed in proximity, the landing pad is a needed addition to enhance the safety of our community.”

     The new landing pad will enable the department to make arrangements for air transport providers in advance, and emergency responders will have a flat, level walkway from the parking area to the landing pad, providing a safer transfer to the helicopter.

     Rodgers said current conditions are less than ideal for emergency evacuations.

     “Recently we had a landing that ended up being aborted due to poor ground conditions and another that was severely delayed due to lack of suitable clearance,” he said. “The permanent concrete landing will greatly improve response times for patients, regardless of weather or time of day.”

    The Delhi VFD serves eastern Caldwell County.

  This is one of 41 grants awarded recently through LCRA Community Grants. These grants are awarded twice a year as part of LCRA’s effort to give back to communities in its wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the Community Grants program.

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