By Isadora Vail
Austin American-Statesman (Texas)
Copyright 2007 The Austin American-Statesman
All Rights Reserved
GEORGETOWN, Texas — The Georgetown Fire Department will now carry two extra life vests on all first-responding trucks, city officials said Monday, almost two weeks after an elderly man drowned at a low-water crossing during a heavy thunderstorm.
City spokesman Keith Hutchinson would not say whether the change was prompted by the death of 80-year-old Fred List.
The decision was made in a meeting with fire, police and city officials. Georgetown fire officials couldn’t be reached for comment Monday.
Fred and Kathy List were driving on Oak Tree Drive in the Berry Creek subdivision March 13 when their car stalled in a few feet of water. Within 45 minutes, the car was immersed by the swelling creek.
The Fire Department did not have a policy mandating a certain number of vests be carried on the trucks. The responding truck had four vests on board, three of which were used by firefighters. Kathy List received the fourth vest, but there was no vest for Fred List as he, his wife and a firefighter were forced into the rushing water.
According to the Monday decision, first-responding fire trucks will carry vests for all firefighters on board and two additional vests.
“That is an improvement that would have saved my husband’s life,” Kathy List said Monday.
Officials have also replaced the sensors that trigger warning lights at either end of the low-water crossing. On March 13, those sensors, which flip a switch when water flows over the crossing, were not working because they had been disabled by an earlier storm.
Hutchinson said the sensors may be put on a citywide system so officials will be notified automatically when they are activated.
Now, the crossing has to be checked regularly by city employees to see if it is flooded. If it is, the gates are manually closed. Hutchinson said those gate will continue to be closed by hand.