You cannot burn trash, construction materials, or furniture. You may burn brush, tree limbs, leaves, and cut grass providing there is no burn ban in place, but you must have a burn permit. Otherwise, expect the Fire Department to show up and put out your fire and expect to receive a citation.

Absolutely! In fact you can basically designate what you want the money used for. We are always in need of monies to help pay for training that the firefighters attend. Go to the Fire Department website and click on the PayPal link. 100% of the money goes to the Fire Department Auxiliary. You may also donate directly to the auxiliary at the fire station. You may also donate through our VES Program and add $3.00 to your water bill. The city sends the check monthly to the Granite Shoals Fire Auxiliary.

Yes, we will try but we suggest before calling to open a can of tuna or cat food and wait for the cat to get down on its own. They'll come down eventually.

You can get burn permits from the Granite Shoals Fire Department. Please call 830-596-8110 to schedule an appointment from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week.

You can help in several ways:

• If you are interested in fighting fire, you need to join and get the free training the Fire Department offers.
• You can also join the auxiliary and help with support those who are fighting fires. This includes handing out water and cold towels, getting supplies, and setting up rehab stations for the responders.
• If you have a special talent and want to share some information or teach a class, contact the training officer and tell him what specialty you have. He will see if it's something the Fire Department can use and help arrange times for you to assist the department.

VES fee stands for Voluntary Emergency Services fee. It is a voluntary $3.00 donation that goes to the Granite Shoals Police Association, Granite Shoals Fire Department Auxiliary, and Marble Falls Area EMS non-profit. Each organization receives $1.00 to fund various programs for each organization. Programs consist of training of emergency service members, equipment, and community outreach events.

This is called venting the roof. There are two basic reasons for this practice. Dangerous gases and dark smoke accumulate in a burning building. Unlike the movie version of fires, it is impossible for firefighters to see in such an environment. When a hole is made in the roof because the building is vented, the smoke and gases escape because heat and smoke rise. It makes it much easier for the firefighters in the building to see. It also reduces the possibilities of backdraft and flashover. Another reason for venting the roof is to see how far the fire has progressed. One of the fastest avenues through which fires spread is the attic. Heat and smoke rise into the attic where the fire can move quickly. Firefighters may go ahead of the fire on a roof, cut holes to access the attic, and stop the fire from spreading through the attic.

Granite Shoals Fire Department are trained in medical first aid and may also administer several EMS medications, to assist with breathing problems, chest pain, and low blood sugar. We also carry Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) in the event of sudden cardiac arrest. Our goal is to give high quality and definitive patient care as early as possible to our citizens.