Jarret Volunteer Fire Department

Jarret Volunteer Fire Department is staffed by 100% volunteer fire fighters, medics, and engineers. We have been serving the city of Von Ormy, TX and the Southwest Bexar County community since 1975. Jarret is currently operated out of a metal garage with a small man-made housing unit built in the back of the vehicle parking area.  To say this area is unfit for a fire department is an understatement.
 
For many years Jarret has been asking the Emergency Service District #5 (ESD) Board of Commissioners for a new place of operation for our fire department. The ESD board consists of five commissioners appointed by our County Commissioner to allocate tax payer money to the paid/volunteer fire departments operating in their service district. In 2011 we took the matter into our own hands and asked the ESD Commissioners if Jarret could obtain a loan to build a new station. After meeting with the ESD board, their legal counsel, and Von Ormy city officials, approval was given to Jarret to use a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) loan to build a station in the city of Von Ormy. The USDA granted Jarret with a 1.2 million dollar loan for this purpose. Not only was the idea approved, but the ESD board signed an agreement/letter of intent to assist with $21,000 a year towards the loan payment. The Von Ormy City Council also signed an agreement to pay $20,000 a year, leaving Jarret Volunteer Fire Department, a non-profit organization, with a payment of $17,000 a year for a significantly larger, upgraded, and safer place of operation.   If the Von Ormy city council and the ESD board would follow through with their agreements, this portion of the loan payment for Jarret is very feasible.

Unfortunately the Von Ormy City Council and the ESD board have chosen not to support our department in making any payments at this time. We are a short time away from defaulting on this loan.

Jarret consists of 43 volunteer, un-paid, community service people. We want nothing more than to continue serving our community and keeping our service area safe. This is truly what we love to do. Defaulting on this loan not only makes a new station impossible, but threatens the existence of our operation in its entirety.

 We are now left with no other choice but to ask for financial assistance from fellow brothers and sisters in the fire service, law enforcement officials, emergency medical technicians, military service men and women, fire responders, volunteers, full-time/part-time, PRN employees, community members, Texans, Americans, men, women, and children, please help out our volunteer fire department. 

We are grateful for any amount donated and even if you are unable, thank you for reading our story.

Jarret Volunteer Fire Department is a tax exempt 501c4 business.  Any donations made can be filed as a tax exemption. Our TIN number is: 74-2318427.