Volunteer firefighters are trained to put out fires, but Caldwell County fire officials say that wasn't the case when a vacant home was intentionally set in flames on June 23.
An investigation has led to the arrest of three Maxwell men, two of whom, twin brothers Richard and Robert Hitchcock, were volunteer firefighters with the Dale and Maxwell Volunteer Fire Departments, according to Lynn Parker, emergency management coordinator with Caldwell County. They have been charged with arson.
Prior to joining the departments, the brothers had been suspended from the Niederwald Volunteer Fire Department for unlawful conduct.
The revelation has caused fire officials to rethink their recruitment requirements.
An online statement on the Maxwell Volunteer Fire Department’s website said all new members will be subject to background checks.
Neither department conducted background checks previously.
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Starting the fire
Two volunteers of the Dale and Maxwell Volunteer Fire Departments have been arrested for arson.
 
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Chief Robert Barron of the Dale Volunteer Fire Department said word-of-mouth recommendations were relied on heavily in the past in bringing in new volunteers. "Most of them [are] known by somebody in the membership. We listen to what they say. We don't do background checks.”
But Barron said he’ll reconsider that approach and conduct background checks under certain circumstances, such as when a volunteer is new to town and not well-known in the community.
County emergency officials insist that word-of-mouth checks are not good enough. "Law enforcement officers have to pass a rigorous background check. Certainly people who go into homes to fight fires should be subjected to background checks," Parker said.
The Caldwell County Fire Department is investigating other suspicious fires that have occurred throughout the last two months in Bastrop, Hays and Caldwell counties. Officials said they do not know whether or not the three men arrested were involved in any other fires.
