Faster response times are the goal for four volunteer fire departments in the Delta Area in the near future.

The departments plan to achieve that goal by working together and establishing direct communication during fire and medical emergencies.

In the past, there were limited partnerships between the Elsa, Edcouch, La Villa and Monte Alto Volunteer Fire Departments.

Now, the goal is for all four to provide, what they call, Automatic Aid. It's a system that allows multiple departments to respond at the same time, saving valuable minutes and adding more resources on scene.

"This will allow us with, I can provide an engine and a tanker, Elsa can provide another ladder and a tanker and vice versa with La Villa and Monte Alto as well. So we're able to have the resources on scene without having to wait additional time to get there and put out a fire," Edcouch Fire Chief Victor Estrada said.

While they're still working out the details of how this automatic aid system will be implemented, they expect even more improvements that will help them better serve the Delta community.

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