CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — With cooler weather circulating around the Coastal Bend the possibility of drier brush has firefighters on high alert.
Rain over the past few months has helped to produce tall grasses that are now turning brown. Additionally, low humidity and high winds are a perfect recipe for a potential grass fire.
One local fire department is receiving two brand new brush trucks which might come in handy for the changing weather.
Nueces County Emergency Service Department #1 Captain Christopher Glass said the trucks provide advantages that come in handy for his line of work.
"They can get you much further in a fire and get into areas we can't previously go with our dually Dodge. Getting into the head of the fire is the biggest thing," Glass said.
The department also has another heavy duty brush truck that is going to be ready to use soon. It's a good thing because ESD #1 is always seemingly called out to help smaller fire departments from here all the way down to the Valley.
"Our fire chief is big on mutual aid for other departments and stuff like that. We respond all the way down to the Valley. We actually just came back from the Valley yesterday," Glass said.
The Corpus Christi Fire Department fights grass fires in town from time to time. That effort could be ramping up soon as fall moves in and all the tall grasses and brush turn from green to brown and become a huge fire danger.
CCFD Chief Robert Rocha said that the fire department has specific resources designated to combat brush fires.
"Fortunately for the fire department we have three stations that we designate as our brush truck teams. They go out and put out brushfires for us," Rocha said.
Rocha pointed out that his department is also ready to help assist any of the area fire departments that might need help battling a brushfire or a structure fire.
Captain Glass tells 3News that he's hoping to be able to use their new facility sometime in the beginning of next year.
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