About Us

History

Our History

The Johnson County Emergency Services District No. 1 (ESD) was originally formed in the mid-1950’s as a Rural Fire Prevention District. The District was created to help provide funding for Johnson County fire departments. In 2003, the State of Texas required all Rural Fire Prevention Districts to convert into Emergency Services Districts as outlined in the State Health & Safety Code Section 775. Of the approximately 280 Emergency Services Districts in the State of Texas, the Johnson County ESD has more individual fire departments within its organization than any other ESD. Because most small fire departments require help when fighting fires, having a countywide organization with a common dispatching system, provides a great opportunity to combine these resources for the protection of lives and property.

Johnson County Emergency Service District 

The Emergency Services District (ESD) is responsible for fire protection and first responder emergency medical services in all of the unincorporated areas of the county. ESD fire departments cover over 700 square miles of area and protect a population of over 100,000 residents. The ESD contracts with 16 fire departments to provide fire suppression and emergency medical services to the people of Johnson County. Four of these fire departments are composed of both paid and volunteer firefighters and are called combination departments. Twelve of the fire departments operate with all volunteer members.