Matt Glaves has been a resident of Brazoria County since 1979 and he has spent 40 years as an employee of Blue Bell Creameries in Alvin where he worked his way up from driving a truck to his present position of sales manager.

Glaves is a busy family man who spends his free time with his nine grandchildren. Despite his busy work schedule and the demands of family, Glaves has always found time to give back to his community.

Glaves is currently a volunteer firefighter with the Alvin Volunteer Fire Department, a position he has held for over 30 years. He is also a state-certified investigator and advanced firefighter with the Texas commission on Fire Protection. Glaves is also certified as a master firefighter with the State Firefighters’ and Fire Marshals’ Association of Texas. Organized in 1876, SFFMA is Texas’ oldest and largest fire association. Glaves shares his decades of knowledge with other firefighters by teaching a class on fire behavior every summer at Texas A&M University.

It was Glaves’ involvement with Alvin VFD that prompted him to walk door to door to collect signatures from his friends and neighbors to get the creation of Brazoria County Emergency Services District No. 3 on the ballot for voter approval in order to form the district.

Glaves has been a Brazoria County Emergency Services District No. 3 Commissioner since 2007 and he uses his knowledge and experience as a volunteer firefighter to make the best decisions for the District.

“I have worked my way up for 40 years at Blue Bell. I started on a truck and I manage a huge operation with about 55 employees underneath me. The hardest year I ever worked was trying to place workers after the voluntary product recall when we were furloughed. It was so humbling that the public still wanted our product after all the bad press we received. The fire service is the same way. This is a business and it’s all about our business. We may not all get along but we should always work together as a team for the betterment of our community. That is what I believe,” said Glaves.

The two most pressing issues facing the District are the decrease in revenue from EMS and the challenge of recruiting and retaining qualified volunteers for the fire departments within the District. It is increasingly difficult to find volunteers who have the time to serve, the physical stamina required of the job, and the mental stamina to deal with the realities of the profession.

“We show up on your worst day. There’s no doubt about it. It’s your worst day but we have to stay calm under pressure especially when children are involved,” said Glaves.

One way Glaves has been able to attract more volunteers is by offering a pension to volunteers. The idea of a pension is tailored for people who don’t work for a company that offers a 401(k) and was implemented as a tool to recruit volunteers such as shift workers who are able to make the time commitment to volunteering.

Glaves is also focused on the financial health of the District. Prior to Glaves’ appointment as a Commissioner, the District had been on a spending spree and there was a considerable amount of apparatus that needed to be paid off. By being financially stable, the District has been able to provide new apparatus, life safety equipment, and funding of the volunteer pension program.

“I remember when Rosharon VFD couldn’t afford to fix a flat tire on one of their apparatus and I also remember when Liverpool VFD had to pass the hat to collect money to purchase fuel for one of their apparatus following a fire,” said Glaves.

Glaves envisions positive growth for BCESD 3 as Brazoria County’s population continues to increase. 

“The expansion of 288 and the Grand Parkway coming through Brazoria County will bring businesses and residents to our area and I hope we’re ahead of the curve on the planning. The nice thing is that the entire fire service has been so diligent with fire prevention that we shouldn’t have the issues we had decades ago with regard to the construction of homes,” said Glaves.

Glaves encourages members of the community to get involved with one of the fire departments within BCESD 3 and pointed out that volunteering is a great way for college students to enhance their appeal to future employers.

“There is mutual respect and admiration among firefighters. It’s the unwritten rule that you take care of your own and when you have something extra you share it with others. Firefighting is a community and membership in that community is something you can’t buy,” said Glaves.