Glen Rose Medical Center Responds to Chalk Mountain Fire

On Monday July 18, 2022, Somervell County Fire Department received a call about a grass fire in the area of County Roads 1004 and 1005 and the Loco Coyote Restaurant area of Somervell County. News of the rapidly spreading wildfire and emergency evacuations were be announced publicly. The Somervell County Fire Department was immediately asking for mutual aid from nearby communities. The Somervell County Sheriff’s Office started requesting water, Gatorade, necessities for the first responders working the fire.

With news of the rapidly spreading wildfire, the team at Glen Rose Medical Center immediately went into Emergency Response Mode. The Safety Officer, CNO, and Assistant CNO and IC for emergency response immediately began to implement a plan for the first responders. With average daily temperatures over 100 degrees, the safety and hydration of the first responders was an enormous health concern.

The Emergency Management team in conjunction with Judge Danny Chambers, County Commissioner Jeff Harris and Fire Chief Brian Jones set up a location for what became known as the “The Hydration Station” at the Fire Base Camp Command Center at Loco Coyote Restaurant. The hydration station was up and running within a few hours of the initial fire call. GRMC staff manned the station 24 hours a day for 6 days. The Forestry Service arrived at Somervell County and took command of the fire at Chalk Mountain. After the fire was somewhat contained, the fire base camp was moved to Glen Rose High School Tiger Arena, and the “Hydration Station” was moved inside Tiger Arena. Services including IV’s, liquid IV, first aid, food, fresh socks and t-shirts were provided until it was demobilized on Friday, July 29. These services will continue for first responders at GRMC until they are no longer needed.

The Forestry Service commended GRMC on the services and hospital staff providing hydration to the first responders. They were impressed by the quick response to the needs of the firefighters by providing IV’s and hydration, stating that these types of services have never been provided to them in communities they have served in the past.

On behalf of Glen Rose Medical Center, we want to thank all the volunteer fire departments, the restaurants that provided food, the citizens that provided water, liquid IV, Gatorade, portable A/C units and every person that donated time, money, food, feed for animals, and livestock transportation, those who provided families a cool place to stay and any others we have overlooked. GRMC is proud to serve this community and extremely proud of how our community came together to respond.