ATHENS, Texas –– Many volunteer fire departments rely heavily on donations and grant programs in order to
provide adequate protection for the land and people in their service districts. North 19 VFD recently upgraded
its equipment with a $33,000 grant from Texas A&M Forest Service.
For North 19 VFD, it was important to get a piece of equipment suitable for its unique terrain.
“We needed a brush truck for quick attack in our area,” Fire Chief Bob Morris said. “We have a lot of sandy
territory, so the heavier trucks tend to sink. This lighter unit allows us to get to areas we otherwise wouldn’t be
able to get to.”
The new slip-on will serve as a multi-purpose unit for the VFD, being used for grass and wildland fires as well as
structure fires across the department’s service district of 210 square miles.
“We designed it to allow us to respond quicker and get water to the fire a lot faster than we could in the past,”
Morris said.
Over 85% of fire departments in the state of Texas are either completely or mostly operated by volunteers. 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.
“I don’t think a lot of departments would be able to function without this program,” Morris said. “Equipment is
expensive, and I know our department would not have been able to do this without the grant program provided by
TFS.”
To learn more about this program, visit http://texasfd.com.