With the help of a grant provided by Texas A&M Forest Service, Placedo Volunteer
Fire Department purchased a new small brush truck for their department.
“We receive most of our funds through donations and fundraisers, and everything we had was very old
and breaking down,” Placedo Fire Chief Robert Zapata said. “We only had one brush truck that was
running.”
The new brush truck will replace one of the departments older trucks that required frequent maintenance.
“Now we can send more water, and spend less time working on the truck,” Zapata said. “Our old truck
required a lot of maintenance. Now we will be able to reach the site quicker and hopefully knock it down
before needing other help.”
The Texas A&M Forest Service 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.
“This department had very few trucks, so this was a huge deal for them,” TFS Regional Fire Coordinator
Jared Karns said. “The equipment they were working with before was not something they could use on a
consistent basis because it would often break down. Having something that is reliable will be a great
asset to them.”