By Jonathan Stuckey
Thanks to a historic investment by the 89th Texas Legislature, Texas A&M Forest Service approved over $164 million in funding to award 558 fire trucks and 321 slip-on units to Texas volunteer fire departments through the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program.
The Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program was established by Texas House Bill 2604 in 2001 to provide grants to rural volunteer fire departments for essential firefighting equipment and training. Since its onset, the program has awarded over $500 million in grants to Texas fire departments, including in this new round of funding.
This round marked the largest allocation of awards and the first phase in distributing over $192 million to Texas volunteer fire departments.