March 2, 2017 — Montague, Texas — Texas A&M Forest Service awarded a grant to Montague Volunteer
Fire Department for the purchase of a new brush truck. The funding was through the Rural Volunteer Fire
Department Assistance Program.
“We retired a 1965 brush truck that we built out ourselves,” said Montague Volunteer Fire Department Fire
Chief Tommy Fenoglio. “It didn’t have all of the updates that this new truck has. We put a lot of time and
thought into getting the right equipment that would allow the department to best serve the community.”
According to Fenoglio, the new 2016 F550 brush truck has a 500-gallon poly tank, foam system, and front
bumper monitor.
A bumper monitor (water cannon) is designed to produce a water flow for firefighting while being operated
from inside of the fire truck.
“The front bumper monitor is an improvement because it increases safety for the firefighter,” said Fenoglio. “It
can be controlled from the inside of the cab using a joystick instead of someone being outside the truck fighting
the fire.”
Montague VFD has a protection area of 116 square miles with a population of 2,000. The new brush truck gives
them an effective apparatus to combat wildfire, should the need arise.
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 VFDs 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.