Bloomburg VFD receives equipment grant

Bloomburg Volunteer Fire Department accepted an $18,500 cost share grant from the Rural Volunteer Fire

Department Assistance Program administered by Texas A&M Forest Service. The grant helped to purchase rescue tools, traffic cones and a thermal imaging camera.

“Our department has been serving the Bloomburg community since 1974 and we never had our own extrication tools,” said Bloomburg VFD Fire Chief Dakota Huddleston. “In our service area we respond to accidents on heavily driven Farm-to-Market roads and State Highway 77 and we always had to depend on mutual aid from other departments when it came to extrication after a vehicle accident.”

“We will now have immediate access to those tools and will also be able to provide back-up to other departments.”

The department replaced an older out-ofdate thermal imaging camera with a new one that will be useful in finding hot spots or downed individuals in a structure fire.

“Bloomburg and the surrounding communities can look forward to the increased capabilities of their volunteer fire department with the addition of the new equipment.

These tools will enhance the fire department’s efficiency and ability to provide top notch service to those in need,” said Josh Bardwell Texas A&M Forest Service Regional Fire Coordinator.

The volunteer fire department has 15 members that serves a 60-squaremile service area.

“We appreciate receiving the grant for the equipment that will help to make our job as volunteer fire fighters more successful and safer,” said Huddleston. Offers v Grassh financin Financi with app Grassh

“Volunteer fire departments across Texas would have far less equipment to support their communities without the grant programs through Texas A&M Forest Service.

For more information on programs offered by Texas A&M Forest Service, please visit http:// texasfd.com.