Serving their community since 1902, Groom VFD is continually looking for ways to advance their
capacity to protect life and property. Thanks to a $15,000 grant from Texas A&M Forest Service the department
purchased additional rescue equipment which included a nozzle foam system, rescue saw and scene lights.
“We get a number of calls for accidents on U.S. Interstate 40 (Historic Route 66) where it is reported 18,000
vehicles travel each day raising the likelihood for an accident to occur,” said Fire Chief Gary Don Babcock. “Several
pieces of rescue equipment were purchased, one of which is a set of scene lights that will help increase the safety
of our volunteers by illuminating the accident scene.”
A new foam system was also purchased to aid in battling wildfires. The system will decrease the need for extra
personnel because it can be operated by one or two firefighters and has the capability to effectively suppress fires.
“Our community has a population of about 580 residents and is surrounded by rural farm and ranch land. Groom
VFD has 12 volunteers but due to work situations, we sometimes have only one or two firefighters responding to a
call. The new foam system will enable those two volunteers to respond and take care of any smaller wildland fire,”
Said Babcock.
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.
“The programs that TFS has for volunteer fire departments are good grant programs. They allow departments to
bring their equipment up-to-date and offer training options for the volunteers,” says Babcock.
To learn more about this program visit texasfd.com.