Bluebonnet awards $64,000 to fire departments

Above, Jo Anna Gilland, Bluebonnet’s Lockhart-area community representative, far left, and Milton Shaw, Bluebonnet Board member, far right, are pictured with chiefs and representatives from each of the 10 fire departments serving members in Caldwell County. Photo Courtesy of LISD.    

Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative has awarded $1,000 grants to 64 fire departments serving communities across its 14-county region, reinforcing the cooperative’s longstanding partnership with first responders. The Board of Directors unanimously approved the grants earlier this year, with funds distributed in October and November.

   “These departments are dedicated to serving Bluebonnet members and our communities,” said Matt Bentke, Bluebonnet’s general manager. “Our lineworkers and control center operators rely on the partnership and quick response of firefighters and first responders during emergencies. Their work is vital to keeping our members and employees safe.”

    The financial support will help fire departments cover essential and rising costs, including fuel, equipment maintenance, repairs and other critical needs identified by each department. Many of the recipient agencies rely on volunteer personnel and limited budgets, making the grants a meaningful contribution to their daily operations.

   Ben Flencher, chairman of Bluebonnet’s Board of Directors, emphasized the cooperative’s appreciation for emergency responders. “Bluebonnet is honored to support our area fire departments, whose commitment to protecting and serving our communities is truly exceptional,” Flencher said. “The men and women who serve and volunteer with these departments deserve our deepest gratitude and continued support.”

  The cooperative noted that the grant funds do not come from member utility payments or electric rates. Instead, the grants are financed through unclaimed capital credit payments once owed to former cooperative members. When such funds are returned to Bluebonnet by the State of Texas, they are reinvested in community support initiatives like the fire department grant program.

    The grants underscore Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative’s ongoing commitment to strengthening public safety and supporting the first responders who safeguard the communities it serves.