The creation of the Emergency Services District #7 (ESD) was initiated and conducted by the citizens of the Votaw/Thicket and surrounding areas within District 7. An ESD is  a grassroots governmental entity that provides fire protection or emergency medical response (or a combination of the two) to Texans. Many ESDs started as rural fire prevention districts. In 2003,the Texas Legislature declared ESDs the preferred method for delivering fire protection and emergency medical response and converted all remaining rural fire prevention districts to ESDs. 

​

ESDs are created under Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 775 or Chapter 776 as a means to

better provide public funding for urban, suburban and rural emergency services organizations. ESDs are the only practical way to adequately support emergency services in many Texas municipalities as well as suburban and rural areas of the state. In Texas, there are approximately 289 ESDs in 89 counties providing funding for emergency services.

​

An ESD collects taxes based on appraisals of real estate, personal property, and sales tax and either contracts with a service provider or provides the services directly.  There are three types of ESDs:

Fire protection
Emergency medical services (EMS)
Both fire protection and emergency medical services (EMS)

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​