“It is really my goal to become part of the Bandera community,” he said. A daughter and grandchildren live in Pipe Creek, and his son is set to graduate from Bandera High School in May. Rutherford has been married for 30 years to his wife, Genie, also a Bandera native. But I know, this job is a marathon, not a sprint,” he said. “I plan to do a little bit at a time to work to make Bandera a safer place. “I am here to support the local departments, and get them what they need to succeed,” he remarked. He has plans to work through the county doing wildfire assessments and training local departments in this area, as well. He also wants to use his connections to tap into training opportunities for Bandera County fire fighters. He mentioned writing grants to get the county fire departments resources that they need. He sees himself as a resource to provide for the local volunteer departments. They had even been sent to help in California when wildfires threatened there.Īlthough Bandera County is much slower paced than Round Rock, Rutherford has some plans for the fire marshal’s office. He recounts the numerous times he and his men in Round Rock were called to West Texas to fight large wildland fires. Rutherford is very familiar with wildland situations as he has extensive experience fighting this kind of fire. I was very impressed with their work ethic and performance,” he stated. He in turn praised the volunteer fire departments on the scene. Rutherford was widely praised for his quick response and knowledge. He helped place resources to assist the Medina VFD and the Bandera VFD begin battling the blaze.Ī great deal of wind caused the fire to overwhelm the suppression efforts, and other local units were called in. Rutherford characterized the fire as having the potential to be a “real serious situation.” Bandera’s first real grass fire of theīandera’s first real grass fire of the year occurred on January 15 off Highway 173 North. After coming on board in December, he was tested within a month of taking on the Bandera job. After retiring out of Round Rock, Rutherford felt he was just “too young” to give it up. The last ten years of his career in Round Rock, he supervised the wildfire division which had 30 personnel on the team.Ĭoming to Bandera where he is a “one person shop” is a big change for the soft spoken first responder. He served within a department of 140 firefighters across nine stations. Rutherford spent the last 31 years in the Round Rock Fire Department and retired as a Suppression Captain. After many years of going on call outs, he translated his interest into a career. 8 that Fire Chief Robert Isbell would be vacating his position to lead the Stephenville Fire Department, effective Oct. His interest in the fire service started at a young age when he went on a call out with his father to put out a car fire. Rutherford grew up in Utopia and graduated from Utopia High School. Bandera County Fire Marshall Jason Rutherford has taken charge of the safety of the county with a humble attitude and a wealth of knowledge.
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