Useful Phone #'s
For Emergencies
911
James Wistinghausen
President of GCFFA
Galveston County Sheriff Office
(409) 766-2300
Webmaster
Allison Little
aedqueen44@gmail.com
2021
Meeting Places
April 1
Siddons-Martin
May 6
Friendswood VFD
June 3
Tiki Island VFD
July 8
LaMarque Fire Dept
August 5
Texas City Fire Dept
September 2
League City VFD
October 7
High Island VFD
November 4
Jamaica Beach VFD
December 2
Crystal Beach VFD
GCFFA Monthly Meeting
Thursday, April 1, 2021
New meeting Place
Siddons-Martin
4401 Rex Rd.
Friendswood, TX 77546
Message from the President
Happy New Year Everyone! Now that 2020 is over, it is time to look ahead for a better 2021 year.
Reflections:
COVID-19 rocked our world. March 17, 2020 our country was completely shut down, except for all of the First Responders and Firefighters and other essential workers. Our lives as volunteers and career firemen were forever changed. New PPE, new restrictions, new precautions, new airborne infections, masks, quarentines, etc..... Life changed forever. But we conform and we continue to serve our communities. Great job Galveston County Fire Departments.....We are awesome!
Annual Calls:
The County had a very busy year which reflects in our numbers. Our County Volunteers responded to a total of 8,531 calls both in district and mutual aid calls. That is impressive for Volunteers!!! Thank you to each person who gives their time to their fire departments.
Hurricane Season:
WOW. What a historic season!! The brutal 2020 Atlantic hurricane season has officially ended, after generating an extraordinary 30 named storms (highest on record), 13 hurricanes (second highest on record), and six major hurricanes (tied for second highest on record). We were all quite busy during this time and luckily there was not an "IKE" repeat in our mix. Stay Prepared for 2021.
New Beginnings:
2021 is here and we all conform to the "NEW" normal, whatever that looks like. In our business, there really is NOT a normal. We just keep helping others anyway we can. We train, we study, we respond, and continue serving others. Be proud to be a Galveston County Firefighter!
Special thank you to our County Emergency Management group that continues to keep us informed of upcoming challenges and for assisting with COVID-19 issues. COVID testing for our responders, hand sanitizers and masks when they were sold out, and now vaccinations for our responders, were all possible with your help. We continue to be successful with your support.
We have had some health issues within our organization that really needed the brotherhood to step up and help. Tommy Anderson had a major injury, Chief Butch Edwards lost his wife, Our VFIS rep, Tom VanWyngarden passed away, our County Commissioner, Ken Clark is fighting an illness. Throughout the Association, there are probably more that needed us, and I know we were there for them. That is what we do. Again, thanks for your caring spirits in the harsh world we live in.
I look forward to leading us into this new year, and I hope that we, together, will continue to grow and support one another! Keep on praying my brothers and sisters!
Sincerely,
James Wistinghausen
President, GCFFA
Congratulations Bobby Doolittle!
Bobby is working his last day at Houston Fire Dept today. Bobby is retiring with 30 years and 26 days of Service!
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak
Symptoms* of COVID-19
Patients with COVID-19 have reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of:
FEVER
COUGH
SHORTNESS OF BREATH
COUGH
SHORTNESS OF BREATH
* Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure.
If you have been in China within the past 14 days, been exposed to a sick traveler from China, or been exposed to a person with COVID-19, call your doctor.
For updates and more information, visit dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus
DATA RESOURCES
- Local
- Galveston County Health District: https://www.gchd.org/about-us/news-and-events/2019-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov
- State of Texas
- National