The Edcouch Volunteer Fire Department now has EMT-certified staff.

The move is set to benefit the 12,000 people living in the Delta area made up of the cities of Elsa, Edcouch, La Villa and Monte Alto.

The area is currently being serviced by Skyline EMS, which only has three ambulances and 25 paramedics to cover the area.

Now, the volunteer fire department will work alongside the area’s first responders to pick up the load.

“It's a massive area that we have to respond to,” Skyline EMS COO Johnny Cordero said. “Our units will get locked down at a hospital for over an hour and a half, sometimes waiting for beds according to how critical the patient is. While those units are there, then there's no coverage in this area."

Edcouch fire Chief Victor Nieves shares the same concerns expressed by Cordero. But the future, they both say, is changing now that the volunteer fire department is a state-certified first-responder organization.

“The first responder organization allows us to assist with medical calls and provide a first response in the delay of EMS,” Nieves said. 

Currently, 11 out of the 30 volunteer firefighters have their certifications. Nieves said they’re working on getting the rest of their volunteers trained within the next two years.

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