About Bexar County Emergency District No. 12

Our History

1956
The Saint Hedwig Volunteer Fire Department was chartered.
1956 to 1981
Mayor Albert "Dutch" Strzelczyk serves as the Fire Chief of the Volunteer Fire Department. All funding for the Fire Department came from dues paid by the community and an annual picnic held in August.
2003 to 2006
With John Decker as Fire Chief, the Fire Department still run by volunteers from the community faced an increase number of emergency calls and a struggle with funding. Never a shortage of volunteers willing to help their community, they continued to serve day and night whenever calls came in and tones went off.
2006 to Present
In 2006, Fire Chief Lawrence Padalecki Sr. was appointed. The City of Saint Hedwig and the unincorporated areas of Bexar County saw substantial growth. As the areas grew so did the need for funding to keep the department running and prepared for service. In 2008, Fire Chief Padalecki asked the members of the community to vote on an ad valorem tax that would solely fund the department for the foreseeable future. The votes answered unanimously with resounding support, changing the face of the department forever.
Present Day

After Bexar County Emergency Services District No. 12 was established 2007 by the registered voters of the district, we have continued to expand and develop.

Bexar County ESD No. 12  currently services calls and runs out of two stations – Station 191 and Station 192. Station 191 is located within the city limits of Saint Hedwig out of the original historic volunteer Fire Station and Station 192 is located off Highway 87. Both Stations are staffed 24/7 with career staff.

We have purchased property off FM 1518 for Station 3. we are currently in the design process for the build of Station (Groundbreaking Possibly March 2023) We are currently in the process of purchasing land for Stations 4 (Graytown Rd & Freudenburg Rd,) Station 5 (Stuart Rd & New Sulphur Springs), Station 6 (Loop 1604 & Bernhardt Rd), Station 7 (FM 2538 & New Berlin Rd). 

Bexar County Emergency Services District No. 12 has continued to grow and develop beyond increasing the number of stations we service out of.

Bexar County ESD 12 Fire / Rescue utilizes a staff of 4 Administrative staff members and 24 Fulltime firefighters to staff station 191 & 192. The department also staffs about 10 trained professional volunteer firefighters.

We have partnered with the East Central Independent School District to run the East Central Fire Academy which supports Juniors and Seniors at East Central High School in preparation for becoming First Responders. (Click Here)

We are also a part of the East Bexar County Strike Teams which utilizes staff in highly specialized, tactical situations such as:

  • Swift Water Rescue and Recovery
  • Hazmat Teams
  • Wildland, Rope, Confined Spaces and Trench Teams

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