December 14, 2016 — DAWN, Texas — Texas A&M Forest Service awarded the Dawn Volunteer Fire
Department a $200,000 grant to help assist with the purchase of a new firefighting vehicle.
The new vehicle is a 2016 Freightliner and is replacing a 1971 GMC military vehicle that the department is
retiring from their fleet. The truck is outfitted with a 1,500-gallon water tank, a 200-gallon-per-minute pump, a
foam system, a front bumper monitor controlled from inside the cab, and a hand-controlled monitor behind the
cab.
“Since we are a volunteer department, we can sometimes be short on help,” explained Dawn VFD Chief R.L.
Johnson. “In theory, we can operate the truck’s equipment with just two people. Since this truck is more
machine-oriented, we can fight the fire with fewer firefighters and it will help to take the fatigue off the
firefighter.”
Dawn VFD, established in 1974, serves a population of 3,500 over 828 square miles of Deaf Smith County.
Texas A&M Forest Service is committed to protecting lives and property through the Rural Volunteer Fire
Department Assistance Program is a cost-share program funded by the Texas State Legislature and administered
by Texas A&M Forest Service. This program provides funding to rural VFDs for the acquisition of firefighting
vehicles, fire and rescue equipment, protective clothing, dry-hydrants, computer systems, and firefighter
training.
For more information on programs offered by Texas A&M Forest Service, please visit http://texasfd.com.