Frequently Asked Questions

Who provides our fire protection and emergency medical first response?
Brazos County Emergency Services District No. 4 (ESD4) is the grassroots government responsible for fire protection and emergency medical first response in 120 square miles of western Brazos County. ESD4 provides services through a contract with Brazos County Precinct 4 Volunteer Fire Department. The ESD is overseen by five commissioners appointed by the Brazos County Commissioners Court.

What is an emergency services district (ESD)?
Emergency services districts are political subdivisions of the state of Texas, like school districts or municipalities. An ESD can provide fire protection, emergency medical response or both.

Where does our ESD4 get its money?
ESD4 was originally a Rural Fire Prevention District (RFPD), which had a maximum tax rate of 3 cents per $100 of property value. All RFPDs were converted to ESDs in 2003, but were required to get voter approval to go above the old RFPD ceiling. Voters in ESD4 approved a new maximum tax rate of 8 cents per $100 in May of 2017, but ESD4 commissioners promised that, barring a financial emergency, they would not go above a 6 cent rate for two years. ESD4 set its property tax rate at 5.7772 cents per $100 of property value. That means that the owner of a home valued at $200,000 on the tax rolls pays less than $10 a month to know that trained firefighters with specialized
equipment will be at the door within minutes when there's an emergency. Under the Texas Constitution, no ESD may set a tax rate more than 10 cents per $100 property value.