General Info

The Johnson County Emergency Services District 1 (ESD) was originally formed in the mid-1950's as a Rural Fire Prevention District. The District was created to help provide funding 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, 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. The 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. When you call "9-1-1, the firefighters from your local fire department respond to your call as soon as possible. Johnson County volunteers come from all walks of life. They may be mailmen, truck drivers, office workers, firefighters, etc. They are your neighbors and members of your community. When they become a volunteer they have committed themselves to hours of training in fire suppression and emergency medical first aid. These volunteers give up valuable family time, risk their lives, and save county taxpayers up to $15 million dollars a year in firefighter salaries. The ESD operates the county Fire Training Center and Johnson County Fire Alarm Dispatch Center from its City of Cleburne location. The Training Center is composed of a main office and classroom building with 3 classrooms. The Fire Alarm Dispatch Center is also located inside the main building. A two story live fire burn building and a four story training tower are located at the Training Center. Multiple propane firefighting props are available for training. Johnson County Fire Training Center Johnson County ESD 1 office is located at Johnson County Fire Training Center in Cleburne, Texas. The Fire Training Center is available for training seven days a week.