KINGSLAND, Texas — Between the dryness and triple-digit temperatures seen throughout the summer, Central Texas firefighters have battled flames under difficult conditions as wildfires broke out across the hill country.
Often, we see the pictures or video of the fire itself or the brave firefighters, however, there's another group working behind-the-scenes to provide quick and ready relief to those on the frontline.
"We had shift workers. Different girls would come out at different times and relieve us even to get supplies," said Cindy Miller. "We get a call. We load up. We're gone."
Miller is the president of the Kingsland Auxiliary Fire Dept. Her husband has been a firefighter with the department for more than 20 years. She started the group about a year and a half ago with a desire to do more.
"It's scary. Up until we started the auxiliary years ago, it was very hard. You're sitting there at your home or laying in bed at the middle of the night, and you're hoping and praying they come back," said Miller. "Now that we have an auxiliary, it's a big relief because we're there. Just to know that the guys are OK now that we're on the scene with them, it's a big relief."
The auxiliary is made up of 15 women who work to collect and facilitate donations brought in by community members to get out to firefighters working the scene. Miller said this fire season kept them especially busy, but that the community support helped them greatly.
"We have not spent any money on the supplies that we have. It came in by leaps and bounds. I mean it was just awesome to see the turnout from the county."
The group still has several packages leftover from the most recent Hill Country fires filled with Gatorade, water, snacks and neckties to keep firefighters cool.
Her husband, Darryl, shared that since the auxiliary started up, firefighters have been able to get those supplies faster and has helped them maintain enough energy to keep them out there longer.
"This is about the busiest wildland fire I've ever seen in these 24 years," said Miller. "They call, get restaurants or places to donate hamburgers, pizzas. The whole community just kicks in and helps us, and it's really great they can bring it all and set up tables for us."
Amanda Jennings Barnett also serves on the auxiliary and helps organize donations for firefighters on social media. Her husband is a volunteer firefighter as well. She said with recent fires requiring the assistance of multiple area fire departments to help break it down, she and the group are prepared to help wherever and whoever needs it, especially if they don't have an auxiliary of their own.
"The ones that don't, we'll be there to take care of them too because that's what we want at the end of the day," said Barnett. "For them to go home to their families at the end of the night and lay their heads down to sleep."
Right now, the Kingsland Auxiliary is accepting new members, but they're also in the progress of creating a larger 'Hill Country' auxiliary -- made up of women across central Texas.