Texas A&M Forest Service awarded a $200,000 grant to Ozona Volunteer Fire Department for a tender through the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program.
“It is replacing a 1984 oil field type tender,” Ozona VFD Chief Brian Morrow said. “This new tender has a fire pump, stabilization for better control, better brakes and a lot of safety features. It is designed for firefighting whereas our other tender was designed for the oil fields.”
According to Morrow, the vehicle can offload 3,000-gallons in a minute and a half into a portable tank, which would allow other apparatuses to draw from that while the tender went to get more water.
“This is a very impressive tender and will give Ozona VFD a more reliable vehicle for their department, which in turn will allow them to increase their capacity to serve their community,” said Texas A&M Forest Service Regional Fire Coordinator Cody Lambert.
Ozona VFD serves 3,000 square miles with an estimated population of 4,500 people.
“We have already had 10 – 15 grass fires this year. With the increase in the vegetation growth we anticipate more grass fires,” Morrow said. “We are glad to have a truck that helps us to be better prepared to respond when called on.”
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 the 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.