A member of the Raymondville Volunteer Fire Department for seven years, Mike Jackson is familiar with the territory. But in January, Jackson became the department’s chief and now faces bigger challenges.
“I feel like we have a good department, and I’m just going to try to keep it going in the right direction,” he said.
Jackson, 45, is a Houston native who graduated from Kickapoo High School in Springfield and currently lives in Summersville. He spent five years working with the Summersville Fire Department and has been with the RVFD for seven. He worked with both departments for a year.
“I ultimately decided to unreservedly and enthusiastically give my time to Raymondville due to the camaraderie on the department,” Jackson said.
The RVFD currently carries a roster of 15 volunteer firefighters. The department’s response fleet includes a 1972 Imperial fire engine and a 1973 Ford engine (both with 1,000-gallon capacity), a 1993 International tanker that can carry 2,500 gallons, two brush trucks and a 1994 International rescue truck (capable of vehicle extrication, medical emergencies, high-angle technical rope rescue and firefighter rehab).
Jackson has been professionally licensed in heating and cooling for 20 years and has owned Jackson Heating and Cooling for 17 years. He said he plans to soon move to Raymondville along with his fiancée, Jennifer Brashers, and his two children.
“The biggest problem living outside of Raymondville’s district poses is call response time,” he said. “I can honestly say that this is a problem that doesn’t arise very often in my case because of several factors. I spend a great amount of time in the Raymondville/Houston area with my business, fire department training and friends. If I do respond from Summersville, I may not make it to the station in time to respond on the first truck out the doors, but in a lot of cases that is OK because we need additional trucks to respond with added support and I’m in contact with the responding firefighters.
“Our training provides firefighters with the ability to be in command confidently, and remain in command until a higher-ranking officer arrives. At Raymondville, we operate as a team and family when it comes to working together to help the community. And Raymondville is unique in that we have firefighters who respond from several outside districts such as Houston, Tyrone, Cabool and Summersville.”
Jackson said one of his main focuses is to maintain the RVFD’s tradition of being well prepared. The department’s fire station includes a second story utilized to create a framed window on the inside of the station.
“We use this prop to train on rescuing trapped victims from a two-story window and to teach firefighters ladder bailouts which are used for self-rescue in case of trapped firefighters,” Jackson said. “We also use this prop to train with rappelling to enhance our high-angle rescue techniques, and we have a vehicle on site to train on car fires, vehicle stabilization and extrication.”
RVFD personnel are currently involved in some major, in-depth training along with the City of Houston Fire Department.
“We’re always doing training to stay up with the best techniques and improve our ability to serve the people in our area,” Jackson said.
As is the case with all of Texas County’s volunteer fire departments, securing enough manpower is a top priority for Raymondville. Jackson said he knows maintaining adequate roster numbers is crucial for a rural volunteer fire department, but that it’s easier said than done.
“It’s hard to get people to volunteer these days,” he said. “It takes a lot of commitment and a lot of work, but I think it can be very rewarding. Sometimes you get to help people during some of the worst moments of their lives.”
To inquire about volunteering or for more information, call Jackson at 417-331-9794.
“I’m always available for any questions or concerns,” he said. “If you see me out and about, flag me down to chat. I love to hear from the community.”