The Eden Volunteer Fire Department recently received a grant from Texas A&M Forest
Service to purchase new rescue equipment.
“The old equipment took at least two people to operate it; one to watch the compressor and
manipulate the hose and the other to use the equipment. The new equipment is battery operated which
frees up personnel to assist with other rescue duties or traffic control,” said Fire Chief Alvaro Trejo.
The Eden VFD purchased a ram, cutter and spreader, commonly referred to as the Jaws of Life. The
tools are used by emergency rescue personnel to assist vehicle extrication of crash victims, as well as
other rescues from small spaces. The equipment is critical to successful rescue operations, especially at
a moment when time can be a matter of life and death.
” U.S. Highways 83 and 87, which are cross roads in Eden, create a lot of traffic for our small community
of 2700. We get quite a few response calls for accidents, particularly in the winter. Now that we have
more efficient tools, we can respond and assist faster,” Alvaro states.
“The addition of the new self-contained equipment has increased Eden VFD’s capabilities to take care of
accidents in their service area,” said Texas A&M Forest Service Regional Fire Coordinator Peter Vidmar.
Volunteer firefighters operate 85 percent of the fire departments in Texas. This year TFS will pass
approximately $24.3 million along to VFDs across the state. The grant funding aids them in purchasing
equipment and obtaining vital firefighter training, giving them greater capabilities to protect life and
property in their communities.
To learn more about this program visit texasfd.com.