BURKBURNETT, Texas — Burkburnett Volunteer Fire Department recently accepted a $100,000 grant through the
Texas A&M Forest Service Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program. The cost-share grant was used to
help purchase a 2017 Ford F550 small brush truck.
A brush truck is an initial-attack unit used to help meet the demands of the fire service. It is a pickup truck or chassis
that has a tank, pump and hose mounted to the bed or platform and is used as a quick assault on grass and brush fires.
The new truck will help increase the department’s capacity to save lives and property in their 110-square-mile service
area where the department has provided fire service since 1927.
“The Burkburnett VFD did not want a standard cookie cutter, off-the-shelf truck; they took the time to sit down, look
at their options and designed a truck that would best fit the needs of their department; then worked with the
manufacturer to get the most for their investment,” said Texas A&M Forest Service Regional Fire Coordinator Regan
Reser.
The brush truck has a custom-built water tank, foam capability and will carry wildland equipment and medical
supplies, making it a flexible apparatus.
“Although this truck is equipped for dual function, its main purpose will be wildland and oil-related fires. It can carry
four firefighters and their equipment, which will allow for a fast response with more personnel,” said Burkburnett
VFD Fire Chief Rodney Ryalls. “The truck has gone into service and had no problem knocking down several grass
fires.”
The firefighters received training from the manufacturer on the different aspects of the new truck. The department
also received instruction at the Red River Valley Firefighter Academy in Wichita Falls, where their truck was used
as a teaching tool to demonstrate the use of the updated equipment.
“We appreciate the Texas State Legislature and Texas A&M Forest Service having the grant programs available,”
said Ryalls. “The grants play an important role in equipping volunteer fire departments to fight fires safer and more
effectively.”
Texas A&M Forest Service is committed to protecting lives and property through the Rural Volunteer Fire
Department Assistance Program, a cost-share program funded by Texas State Legislature and administered by Texas
A&M Forest Service. This program provides funding to rural Volunteer Fire Departments 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.