Previously operating with older trucks that required frequent maintenance, Pleasant Grove
Volunteer Fire Department upgraded to a new brush truck with the help of a grant from Texas A&M Forest Service.
“We are limited on our budget and really needed to upgrade our trucks,” Fire Chief Austin Padilla said. “We are retiring
two older trucks that required lots of maintenance for this new truck.”
The brush truck was the first brand new truck that the department had ever received.
“We put together all of our other trucks ourselves, piece by piece,” Padilla said. “This new truck will benefit the community
around us a lot. It is the only truck with CAFS capabilities in the entire county.”
The new CAFS, or compressed air foam system, will allow the department to use a lot less water and will help responders
to more efficiently fight grass and structure fires, according to Padilla.
“This is first new truck that this department has ever had,” District Fire Coordinator Mike Melton said. “They won’t have to
worry as much about repairs and equipment breaking down. It will help them have a better response time and better
protect their community.”
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.
To learn more about this program visit texasfd.com.