Deadly Texas flooding: Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department honors former chief
Marble Falls remembers fallen fire chief
The Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department is honoring former Chief Michael Phillips. He went missing during the deadly July 4th floods last year.
MARBLE FALLS, Texas - The Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department is honoring its former chief who went missing while responding to the deadly floods last July.
Chief Michael Phillips was never found.
What they're saying:
Chief Michael Phillips vanished while responding to a call for help during the devastating July 4th weekend floods.
He was driving an emergency vehicle when he was swept away. That vehicle was later recovered, but Phillips was not inside.
"Chief Phillips built a great foundation with this fire department. A year ago, the foundation was broken," said Derrick Curtis, fire chief of the Marble Falls Area Fire Department.
Chief Phillips served the Marble Falls Fire Department for nearly three decades, joining as a volunteer firefighter in 1995 and rising through the ranks to fire chief.
Marble Falls Area VFD Fire Chief, Michael Phillips
Despite extensive search efforts, his body was never recovered.
"It's been healing, rebuilding the foundation with his vision in mind of the plans that he had. So yeah, we're just trying to repair the foundation and continue with his mission that he has for this department and our members continuing into the future," said Chief Curtis.
Now, nearly a year later, that vision is becoming a reality. His legacy continues through a new station, the Michael E. Philips Fire Station.
Located on County Road 120, the new station will expand coverage in the northwest part of the district, helping crews reach emergencies quickly.
Over the weekend, the department welcomed the community to celebrate the new facility and remember the man who inspired it.
The new station will house an engine, a tender and two brush trucks.
A second phase will add housing for staff in the future.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Marble Falls honors fallen volunteer fire chief
The Marble Falls community came together to honor its fallen volunteer fire chief, Michael Phillips.
Chief Derrick Curtis says Phillips had a passion for the training facility and wanted to carry out that mission.
"We'll build in later phases to bring in the training facility to continue his legacy of teaching and touching everybody's lives through education," said Chief Curtis.
And above all, Curtis says the station ensures Chief Phillips legacy will live on.
"It's going to preserve memories and all the things that he stood for and knowing that he will never be forgotten," said Chief Curtis.
Chief Curtis hopes the new station will spark interest in people looking to volunteer with the department.
The volunteer department says it also has plans to bring a third station to the eastern part of the district.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Jenna King