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Sheriff's Office and NE Fort Bend County Fire Department Form New Regional Dive Team

October 14 2022

Through a collaboration with the Northeast Fort Bend County Fire Department, several Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office divers were selected to form the first-ever regional Fort Bend County Dive and Water Rescue Team.

The Sheriff’s Office is joining forces with the NEFBCFD and other local agencies including the Fort Bend County Fire Marshal’s Office to better protect and serve our community. The goal of the partnership 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 NEFBCFD where it will be protected from environmental hazards. Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office will remain the owner of the airboat.

Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan and NEFBCFD 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,” said Sheriff Eric Fagan. “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.”

Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan and Northeast Fort Bend County Fire Chief Travis Baxter pause

for a snapshot with the FBCSO airboat.

The county-wide dive and water rescue team and the FBCSO airboat will greatly enhance the NEFBCFD’s rescue response capabilities, according to Chief Baxter.

“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,” said Chief Baxter.

About the Northeast Fort Bend County Fire Department

The Northeast Fort Bend County Fire Department is a non-profit organization. Formerly known as the Townwest Volunteer Fire Department, it was formed in 1972 for the fire protection and emergency needs of the citizens that live in the unincorporated northeast corner of Fort Bend County.

About the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office

The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office was founded in 1837 and is the largest law enforcement agency in Fort Bend County—the most diverse county in Texas. The FBCSO has over 800 employees, including 565 sworn peace officers and 25 reserve deputies dedicated to protecting and serving nearly 900,000 Fort Bend County residents. Among the 10 fastest-growing counties in the nation, Fort Bend covers 885 square miles and includes 21 unincorporated communities.

Visit the Fort Bend COunty Sheriff's Office website at www.fbcsheriff.org and follow them on social media at https://linktr.ee/FBCSOTexas.

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