After being awarded a $100,000 grant from Texas A&M Forest Service, South Lee
Co. Volunteer Fire Department was able to purchase a new brush truck to better serve its district and
surrounding areas.
The VFD used this grant to upgrade from an old 1982 model truck,
which they have been using since the
department started up.
“This is an excellent program to take advantage of to upgrade our department’s equipment,” Fire Chief
Steven Noack said. “Our old truck was having some maintenance issues that we were having to spend
more and more money on.”
This truck will take over as the department’s first-out truck, and has many new capabilities for the VFD to
utilize.
“We will be able to use this truck to offer mutual aid to surrounding departments,” Noack said. “It carries
more water than our other brush trucks and it has higher ground clearance so we will be able to get into
more remote areas. It also has more room for equipment storage.”
TFS passes approximately $12.8 million along to volunteer fire departments across the state every year,
helping them purchase equipment to better protect lives and property.
“The service provided by volunteer fire departments is priceless,” Regional Fire Coordinator Justin Graf
said. “Texas A&M Forest Service is committed in supporting fire departments like South Lee County VFD
to obtain critically needed equipment to help protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and
other related hazards. It is truly Texans helping Texans at the local level.”
To learn more about this program visit texasfd.com.