Fort Bend County Sheriff’s office, Northeast Fort Bend County Fire Department form regional dive team

Contributed Report
Posted 10/20/22

The Northeast Fort Bend County Fire Department the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s office have collaborated to form the first-ever regional Fort Bend County Dive and Water Rescue Team.

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Fort Bend County Sheriff’s office, Northeast Fort Bend County Fire Department form regional dive team

Posted

The Northeast Fort Bend County Fire Department the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s office have collaborated to form the first-ever regional Fort Bend County Dive and Water Rescue Team.

The sheriff’s office is joining forces with the department and other local agencies, including the Fort Bend County Fire Marshal’s Office to better protect and serve the community. The partnership’s goal is to provide extra support, additional resources, and a faster response time during emergencies with equipment that is well-maintained and quickly deployable.

The sheriff’s office airboat will be stored and maintained at the department, where it will be protected from environmental hazards.

Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan and department Fire Chief Travis Baxter call the collaboration a win-win for the communities in which they serve.

“We deeply appreciate the efforts of Chief Baxter and his team as we pool our public safety resources, which include the courageous members of our dive team,” Fagan said. “The use of our airboat by the fire department will enable the vessel to be quickly deployed where needed and will reach anywhere in Fort Bend County during a crisis or emergency.”

The county-wide dive and water rescue team and the sheriff’s office’s airboat will greatly enhance the department’s rescue response capabilities, Baxter said.

“This new addition to our rescue fleet will allow our team to access difficult non-public areas such as rivers, man-made ponds and lakes, and low water crossings that may flood due to excessive rain water or fast-rising water,” Baxter said.

The department is a nonprofit organization that was formed in 1972. It serves the emergency needs of citizens living in the unincorporated northeast corner of Fort Bend County.

Fort Bend County Sheriff's office, Northeast Fort Bend County Fire Department, dive team