The ESD No. 2 Auxiliary Committee is sending out a call to arms to Blanco residents. Just as the definition of auxiliary denotes, the committee is exactly that; they are supplementary support and help to our firefighters and EMS of the ESD No. 2.

The committee is comprised of officers appointed by the ESD Board of Commissioners and anyone willing to lend a hand to these first responders.

At their annual community meeting in August, President Caroline Richardson and Vice President Theresa Turner broke the meeting into three parts for the attendees. The two gave an account of the past year’s programs, events and fundraising efforts.

Potential community outreach programs they’d like to have in the near future were discussed and the need to form response teams to support the first responders during prolonged response times.

Response teams are called upon when firefighters and EMS are working calls or incidences for long periods of time. For instance, when the ESD responded to the tanker crashing into the Rainbird Gallery on Main St., crews worked that scene for approximately 12 hours. The Auxiliary came in to make sure there was plenty of water and food for those on scene.

“The need for the response team may only arise five times a year but when they do, they are essential,” Turner said.

The committee has set up one team to help with prolonged response times but ideally there would be more than one team residing in different geographical locations within the district. The current team primarily resides south of the city of Blanco but because the ESD serves more than 200 square miles the Auxiliary would like to see at least one more team in the north or even more in the west and the east.

Some of the community programs the Auxiliary has plans to host over the next year are the Hands

On Practical Experience (H.O.P.E.) class, a CPR certification class and the “Stop the Bleed” course. Some of these community programs will be free to the public while others may be for a fee or donation.

The Auxiliary is responsible for writing some of the grants that the ESD relies on for funding and of course a lot of fundraising.

Last year the committee not only planned and hosted the annual fish fry, but they were also responsible for the 5K run held in April and the mailout letters that generate donations.

The team has a lot of great plans for the upcoming year, but they are in need of some very essential volunteers to make it all happen including but not limited to a web designer and a photographer.

“We are looking for self-starters to help contribute to the cause,” Turner said. “We not only need fundraisers, but we need strong hands and backs to help at events too.”

The Auxiliary meets monthly at the ESD station and officers can also be reached by emailing [email protected].