June 28, 2017 — McADOO, Texas — McAdoo Volunteer Fire Department purchased a 2017, F550 small
brush truck with funding received from the Texas A&M Forest Service Rural Volunteer Fire Department
Assistance Program. The $100,000 cost share grant made it possible for the department to replace two older,
less reliable trucks with an up-to-date wildland vehicle.
“The majority of our 551-square-mile protection area is ranch or farmland,” said Assistant Fire Chief Dusty
Harris. “Ninety percent of the fires that we respond to are in very rough terrain. This factory-built truck will be
more dependable with greater firefighting capability.”
The truck is equipped with a 500-gallon water tank, 10-gallon foam tank, remote-controlled front bumper
monitor, wench and behind the cab crosswalk.
The combination of the water with the foam helps to increase the efficiency of the water, almost doubling its
effectiveness.
Firefighting foam, used for fire suppression, cools the fire and coats the fuel, preventing contact with oxygen.
The firefighter spreads a blanket of foam on the area involved, smothering the fire and decreasing the possibility
of it reigniting.
“You don’t always know how many firefighters will be available when a call goes out,” said Harris. “This truck
is equipped so that it will allow one person to respond to a grass fire and begin the knockdown from inside the
safety of the truck. A quick, initial response is important in containing a fire and quenching it as rapidly as
possible, minimizing property damage.”
McAdoo VFD was established in 1981 and currently has 12 volunteers. The department has open enrollment for
anyone wanting to receive training and dedicate time to the community. An application may be obtained by
contacting one of the volunteers or at the fire station, 103 North Main.
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.