Since joining Denton County Emergency Services District in January 2023, one of the most common questions that I receive is “What is an Emergency Services District? Is that the same as Denton County or City of Denton Fire Department?”
No – an Emergency Services District (ESD) is a local government entity created by voters in an area to fund fire protection, emergency medical services, or both. More than 300 districts are operating in Texas, with that number growing each year.
Denton County Emergency Services District No. 1 is the government entity that collects property tax to provide these services to the residents within the District’s boundaries encompassing 65 square miles and 45,000 citizens (e. g., Argyle, Bartonville, Copper Canyon, Northlake, and surrounding ETJ) and to neighboring reciprocal mutual aid partners as needed. These taxes currently fund three fire stations, numerous apparatus, personnel, and equipment that the fire department utilizes to protect the community.
The taxes collected come from an ad valorem tax, commonly known as property tax. Each Emergency Services District is capped by the Texas Constitution at $0.10/$100 valuation of taxable property; for Denton County Emergency Services District No. 1, the 2022 tax rate was set at $0.093/$100.
For the month of May, the Denton County Emergency Services District #1 responded to 265 calls, with 62% being medical related and 38% being fire or service related, and an average response time of 7:19 minutes.
We encourage all of our citizens to sign up for free emergency notifications from Denton County Emergency Services District #1 by calling 940.464.7102 or scanning this QR code. Weather notifications are automatically generated for our citizens within the Denton County ESD #1 when the National Weather Service issues a “watch” and/or a “warning.”
To reach Chief Vaughan, send an email to [email protected] or call 940.464.7102.
