WELLMAN, Texas — A $200,000 grant from Texas A&M Forest Service enabled Wellman Volunteer Fire Department to
retire an old 1981 model fire truck with the addition of a brand new brush truck.
“We are funded partly through the county, but our city is not connected to our fire department in any way, so all of our
trucks have to be supplied on our own,” Wellman VFD Fire Chief James Harlan said. “The grant allowed us to upgrade to
a truck that we never would have been able to get otherwise.”
The new truck comes equipped with four-wheel drive, twice as much water storage capacity, and air-pack seats in the
cab, all features the old truck did not have.
“This truck is not just for one specific type of scene, it is multi-purpose,” Regional Fire Coordinator Cody Holloway said.
“It will give them better capabilities to more efficiently respond to multiple types of calls.”
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.
“This program is extremely valuable for small, rural departments such as our own,” Harlan said. “A large portion of the
equipment we have acquired would not have been possible if it hadn’t been for TFS. The county and town has benefitted tremendously from this program.”
To learn more about this program, visit http://texasfd.com.