SUNSET, Texas — With help from Texas A&M Forest Service, the 20-member Sunset Volunteer Fire
Department received funding to purchase a new slip-on unit for one of their fire trucks.
“The pump they were using was worn down,” Tyler Raynes, TFS Regional Fire Coordinator, said. “It’s a
small department that’s not in a very populated county, so the money wasn’t really there for them. Having
the grant is something that really helps them and their department.”
The new slip-on unit replaced an older unit that was purchased and used about four years ago. The new unit
gives the fire truck foam capability, a technology that will help the water supply go further when fighting
fires.
“The grant came at a perfect time because we were starting to have a lot of problems with the old unit,”
Sunset fire chief Alan Campbell said. “We operate on donations alone, so we couldn’t come up with the
kind of money needed to purchase a new unit.”
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.
“What TFS does is amazing,” Campbell said. “It’s tough out there if you’re a small department. Without
the TFS grants, departments like ours would be doing without this much-needed equipment.”
To learn more about this program, visit http://texasfd.com.