CENTRAL TEXAS (KXXV) — Central Texas emergency responders demonstrated significant improvement in their winter storm response compared to the devastating 2021 freeze. Through better preparation and unified coordination between agencies, McLennan and Bell County officials successfully managed the recent ice storm with minimal emergency incidents.
- Central Bell County Fire and Rescue received only seven calls during the recent winter storm compared to 362 calls during the 2021 freeze
- Agencies across McLennan County worked together as one coordinated effort instead of 14 to 16 individual responses, leading to better communication and coordination
- Emergency response times increased from typical 3.5 to 5 minutes to 15 to 17 minutes because of icy road conditions
- Firefighters encountered frozen hydrants during a structure fire in Bell County, forcing them to find alternative water sources further away
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Emergency responders across Central Texas say they handled the recent winter storm far better than the devastating 2021 freeze, with significantly fewer emergency calls and improved coordination between agencies.
McLennan County Emergency Management's Ryan Dirker said the 2021 winter storm helped prepare them for the latest weather event. The key difference was agencies across the county working together as a unified response rather than individual efforts.
"We were in here solving problems for days," Dirker said. "Operating as one city and one county in one unified response as opposed to 14, 15, 16 individual tiny responses and so that was really great to see. I was really pleased with the communication, the coordination, the response."
Central Bell County Fire and Rescue saw dramatic improvement in call volume. Assistant Chief Kevin Berzesi said they received only seven calls during this storm, compared to 362 calls in 2021.
"I'd say this year was probably the best year. The best call is no call. We did not receive a ton of calls," Berzesi said.
However, response times were slower due to icy road conditions. Typical response times of 3.5 to 5 minutes jumped to 15 to 17 minutes during the storm.
"TxDOT is kind of losing the fight for the highways and stuff like that and just be prepared that TxDOT's probably not going to be able to get to some of the more rural areas that they're just going to try to get control of I-35 and I-14 or Business 190," Berzesi said.
The elements created unexpected challenges, including during a structure fire in Bell County where firefighters discovered a frozen hydrant.
"We had gone in and tried to establish a water supply for them to fight this fire and the hydrant had frozen. So we had a completely, completely dead hydrant that we had no ability to pull water from. So we had to actually go further away and find one that was functioning to pull water," Berzesi said.
McLennan County Emergency Management said agencies will conduct an after-action report in the coming weeks to evaluate what went right and what needs improvement.
Waco Police Department reported 43 crashes since Saturday but could not confirm how many were related to icy road conditions.
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