Punkin-Evergreen Volunteer Fire Department increased their
rescue and firefighting capabilities with a $14,777 grant provided by Texas A&M Forest Service through the
Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program.. The department used the grant to purchase new rescue
equipment such as a thermal imaging camera, a hydraulic compressor, Jaws of Life, swift water rescue gear,
and more.
Texas A&M Forest Service Resource Specialist Jason Calvet said the equipment is a huge benefit to the
department, their community and surrounding area.
“The jaws unit is replacing an old 1994 unit,” Punkin-Evergreen VFD Chief Rick Stevens said. “Highway 150
is our main source of accidents because it gets a lot of traffic. We also mutual aid with other departments for 18-
wheeler accidents.”
The new Jaws of Life has already been used four times since being put into service.
Chief Stevens is glad to have these increased capabilities for his department. “We have responded to a variety
of critical calls in our community including swift water rescue, aircraft crash, fires and vehicle accidents,” Chief
Stevens said. “In 2017 the Boy Scouts of America will be opening a 4,000-acre camp with a large lake in our
service area. We want to be prepared with training and equipment, 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 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.
To learn more about this and other programs offered by Texas A&M Forest Service, please visit texasfd.com.