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From August 1970 to early 2002, the department operated out of its first station on Goll Street in old Bracken, which had originally been a plumbing shop. The office and bays were sufficient, but very cramped. The building initially housed four fire trucks, with another bay added in 1984 to house a fifth truck. Part of the building was rented out as a community hall to raise operating funds.

In June 1973, Bracken VFD became the first fire department in Comal County to use women firefighters, initially 12 women joined the department. For the most part, the women handled any emergency call that came in during the day because the men were at work out of the service area. They were locally known as Bracken’s Brush Bunnies for their expertise at extinguishing brush/wildland fires.

In 1985, a substation was built near Comal Elementary School on FM 482 to improve response times to that part of the service area and to house our expanding fleet. Station 2 has two bays, usually housing a brush truck and a rescue pumper.

From 1983 to 1987, the department provided EMS transport for its response area. The 15 medics were all volunteers and took turns being “on call.” The ambulance, a Ford type III unit, was always kept at a member’s residence so the EMTs would not have to first respond to the fire station to pick it up. However, in 1987, EMS service was discontinued due to rising costs, and since then, Emergency Services District #6 has contracted with the City of Schertz for Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Emergency Medical Service (EMS) ambulance transport. Schertz EMS ambulances are all Mobile Intensive Care (MICU) units with a crew of two, at least one of whom is a paramedic. Bracken VFD first responds to all medical emergencies and provides initial medical care on scene prior to Schertz EMS arrival on scene.

In 1999, a new Central Station was built in a more centralized area. The Central Station’s location just north of the City of Garden Ridge on FM 3009 improved response times and was built with housing a full-time firefighting force in mind. Administrative offices, training room, dorms, dining facilities and maintenance facilities are located at the Central Station.

In 2001, Bracken VFD took delivery of Unit 822, the first Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS) pumper in Comal County. CAFS greatly improves fire suppression while using much less water, a critical feature for a rural area with limited access to hydrants. The truck has a 1250 gpm water pump, 1000 gallon water tank and 300 cfm air compressor, giving it the firefighting equivalent of approximately 3000 gallons of straight water.

In 2003, Bracken VFD took delivery of our Unit 870, a rescue truck, which came equipped with a small gas-operated CAFS (primarily for vehicle fires), and a variety of hydraulic, pneumatic, electric, and gas-powered rescue tools.

In 2002, the department’s original station in old Bracken was sold due to its limited usefulness, poor location, and rising age-related maintenance costs.

Bracken VFD receives funding through an Emergency Services District (ESD #6), fundraisers, membership dues and donations. The department holds one fundraiser annually, a Kartoffel Puffer (potato pancake) dinner/auction at the Garden Ridge Community Center on the first Saturday in May. Fundraising efforts account for approximately 10% of the department’s annual income.

As of 2010, Bracken VFD now has 4 firefighters on duty during weekdays when volunteer response availability is the lowest and at least 2 firefighters on duty 24 hours a day.