On an alternately sunny and drizzly afternoon in Waller, Texas, children and their parents showed up at the fire station for pictures with the man in red from the North Pole. He is otherwise known as Santa Claus. (Locals know him as former volunteer Mike Thorpe.)
Most of the littles were dressed in festive holiday attire, ready for their moment on Santa’s lap. Some were a bit shy, but most were happy to smile for the camera. Many of the adults got in on the fun, too, taking turns posing with Santa.
Firefighters welcomed community members to the Waller Volunteer Fire Department station on Walnut Street. The original station was in the heart of the historic downtown.
In addition to getting photos with Santa, the day’s agenda included cookies, coloring books and checking out the apparatus sitting all shiny and proud in the station’s parking lot just outside the bay doors.
Waller VFD, located about 40 miles northwest of Houston, is a combination department that is a provider station for Waller-Harris ESD 200. The department has paid firefighters covering the station on weekdays, 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Volunteers cover weekday nights and weekends.
Crew members said the area is growing because of its proximity to a large urban center. They estimate the department may become fully paid with the decade. Several of their members are TCFP certified, while others have SFFMA certifications. With the reciprocity on the horizon between SFFMA and TCFP, it may make it easier to become a paid firefighter with the ESD when the time comes.
Chief Dwayne Hajek and his crew graciously welcomed SFFMA with open arms. Several have been volunteer firefighters for 10, 15, or 20-plus years. They regaled SFFMA with stories, shared the history of the department, and offered a tour of the photos hanging on the walls of the upstairs breakroom. They are especially proud of the Green Crosses received for a complicated extrication save; where the passengers survived even though the situation seemed grim at the time.
“They don’t just give those out,” Assistant Chief Robert Ross said.
Lt. Colton Pegoda said that particular accident was on Hwy 290, which runs through Waller’s coverage area.
“The driver was pinned in under the dashboard and it took us a while to get her out,” he said.
Assistant Chief Ross added, “It wasn’t like any other accident we’d seen, so we had to use our experience and skill to figure out the best way to remove her.”
Looking at the crew standing near the photo, it was easy to see and feel the pride of a good save.
The chief also provided SFFMA with the opportunity to talk with some of their younger volunteers. Meet Bella and Ryan. These two impressive young volunteers graciously sat down at a table to chat about their experiences with Waller VFD.
First up is Ryan Echevarria, who recently became a certified EMT. He is 19 years old but started as a volunteer at Waller when he was 16. He said a friend of his, who isn’t in Waller, volunteered at his local VFD, which encouraged Ryan to try it out. Ryan later went through the EMT program at his high school.
He said joining Waller VFD was a good decision. What does he love about being a volunteer firefighter?
“The brotherhood,” he said with no hesitation.
Next to him was Bella Grant, a confident young woman. She joined Waller VFD as a junior firefighter when she was 16. Why?
“I needed volunteer hours [for the National Honor Society] but decided it would be more beneficial to my future to do something that had some substance to it,” she said. “I’m glad I did because I’ve learned so much here.”
She added, “I love the relationships I’ve built with everyone here. I know I can count on everyone here. They have my back no matter what, like a second family.”
There were nods of agreement around the table.
“She’s got a lot of big brothers here,” Asst. Chief Ross said.
Bella said she’s learned a lot of core values at Waller VFD, such as respect, determination, rand esponsibility.
Neither teen has a family connection to Waller VFD, which is doubly impressive, although Bella’s dad was a firefighter in Alabama where she grew up. Many small departments tend to have young volunteers because a dad or an uncle or a mother also volunteers there. But Bella and Ryan simply wanted to give back to their community. They quite literally walked in off the street.
This issue has been discussed and debated across Texas for years – whether departments can still recruit new, younger members.
