Mineral Wells Area News

A standing-room-only crowd filled Wednesday night’s meeting of the Palo Pinto County Emergency Services District No. 1 (ESD1), where residents from Lone Camp called on the board to reconsider its decision not to renew the Lone Camp Volunteer Fire Department’s service contract.

“Tell us what to do,” said Casey McGlaun, a Lone Camp resident and new member of the fire department. “We came to you guys in the January meeting with our hat in our hand… We want your help to reorganize or reestablish the Lone Camp Fire Department.”

McGlaun explained that the department had since replaced its former fire chief, formed a new board of directors, and recruited at least 14 new firefighter members in the last month.

“We’ve attended every training that’s happened since. And we also had our own training last night,” he said.

The board’s March vote not to offer a 2025–26 contract came after months of urging the former Lone Camp fire chief to improve participation, training, and response reliability.

Residents said they were unaware of the department’s decline until a few months ago and were surprised to learn their emergency services had been quietly handled by surrounding agencies for more than a year.

While the volunteer department at Lone Camp has historically been known for their skill in wildland firefighting, the county is now seeing an increase in structure fires—creating a need for departments to strengthen training in interior attack, structural protection, and coordinated response protocols.

Growth and development are expanding across Palo Pinto County and officials noted that the nature of emergency calls is also shifting.

John Hoover, a Lone Camp resident whose family helped establish the original fire department, also addressed the board.

As the county’s emergency needs evolve, board members also emphasized that the ESD1 is funded through ad valorem taxes and remains the lowest taxing entity on a resident’s property tax bill—costing just $26 per $100,000 of home valuation.

“I’ve lived in Lone Camp for over 50 years,” Hoover said. “And I’ve always believed we had one of the best volunteer departments around—until recently, I had no idea there were problems.”

Reading from prepared remarks, Hoover apologized for having his head in the sand, along with the rest of the community and urged the board to allow the them time to rebuild the department.

“We’re not just trying to save something,” he said. “We’re trying to rebuild into something better.”

County Fire Chief Danny Watkins presented response data showing Lone Camp’s average time to get a unit en route was 14 minutes—more than double the county average of six minutes.

“Lone Camp has been covered by Santo, Gordon, Brazos, and Palo Pinto,” he said. “The missed calls that have been in that area, everybody’s good to continue,” stated Chief Watkins.

He emphasized that nearby stations had already been filling in successfully, with adjusted district boundaries and response plans now in place.

“With Lone Camp VFD having one of the smallest service areas in the district, neighboring departments will be able to incorporate these areas into their coverage with minimal adjustments,” he said.

The board had previously voted to terminate the contract, but legal counsel required additional procedural steps. A delay in serving a termination letter to LCVFD department served as a reprieve for the communities fire house. That delay opened a 60-day window for the department to show progress—giving the community one last chance to rebuild.

“You’ve told us we have to prove we want to reestablish our fire department,” McGlaun said.

“Well, we’re doing that. We’ve got a new fire chief, new board, new members—and we’re showing up to train and meet.”

Board members listened as McGlaun described a personal experience involving a delayed fire response that resulted in significant property loss.

“About three years ago, I lost well over $15,000 worth of property… Lone Camp and Palo Pinto were up there on Road’s Ranch. Gordon was the first fire department to get there, and it was well over 30 minutes.”

McGlaun said it wasn’t until the board’s January meeting that most residents realized the extent of the problem.

“We knew nothing until that January meeting,” he said. “We want to get back to being one of the best fire departments in the county… but we’ve got to have your help.”

Hoover echoed the community’s commitment.

“Give us the time to do this. I think you’ll see Lone Camp come back stronger than ever.”

This isn’t the first time ESD1 has had to intervene when a volunteer department was struggling.

Several years ago, both Graford and Brazos VFDs were temporarily taken out of service while they restructured, trained, and demonstrated their ability to meet county expectations.

Marshall Mathews, assistant chief with the Brazos VFD department who was present in the audience, encouraged Lone Camp residents to keep pushing forward.

“I appreciate the enthusiasm,” he said. “It’s possible—but it takes a huge commitment.”

Mathers reflected on the difficulty of rebuilding.

“I remember how hard it was when Brazos was taken out of service. It was painful,” he said. “But it made us stronger.”

Lone Camp continues to be toned out for emergency calls, and board members said the department’s participation in the coming weeks and months will likely determine whether it remains operational.

The board tabled a decision and are expected to revisit the decision following the 60-day review period.

In other board business, they heard updates on several initiatives aimed at improving countywide emergency operations.

Chief Watkins reported success with the recent implementation of a new battalion chief program prompting the board to approve a budget to purchase a designated truck for the paid duty chief position.

The board also discussed continued research into acquiring a watercraft that could serve as either a water tender or a transport unit on Possum Kingdom Lake.

With almost 400 miles of winding shoreline and extensive drive times to remote, often unknown call locations across the lake, the board is exploring placing a boat on the water to improve public safety response.

One board member noted the Brazos River Authority is no longer patrolling the lake, and stated that even though the Sheriff’s office has a boat, it’s not kept in the water so response time could be delayed, stating “ultimately our responsibility is the safety of the people in and around that lake.”

Board member Mike Carter gave an update on the watercraft he had previously presented to the board stating that after further inspection, the boat had internal seawater damage, requiring excessive repairs. He said he would continue to explore other options.

In their final action of the evening, the board held an another discussion tabled from a previous meeting regarding the organization’s public communication and awareness management.

Board members all concurred the organization’s need for public outreach and education, pointing to the disconnect with the Lone Camp community as a perfect reason to address the topic again.

After much discussion, the board voted unanimously to approve a budget for a public relations coordinator to facilitate and improve outreach communications to the community and keep residents informed throughout the district of pertinent public information and safety issues.

The next regular meeting was set for May 14 at 6pm.

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