Area volunteer fire departments received funding from the Texas A&M Forest Service when the latest round of Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program grants were announced Wednesday, March 5.
Whitney VFD received $25,000 for fire and rescue equipment purchases.
Peoria, Hubbard and Lakeside Village volunteer fire departments each received $25,000 for the purchase of personal protective equipment for firefighters.
Steele Creek VFD was awarded $10,000 for the purchase of training aids.
In all, the Forest Service awarded 94 grants totaling $2.1 million during the second of three funding meetings planned in fiscal year 2025.
Grants will assist VFDs across Texas in purchasing equipment, such as dry hydrants, fire and rescue equipment, personal protective equipment and training aids.
“Texas’ local fire departments are the first to respond to wildfires and diverse emergencies and natural disasters,” said Jason Keiningham, Texas A&M Forest Service Capacity Building Department Head.
“Through the Rural VFD Assistance Program, we do everything we can to ensure that their firefighting capacity is strong by helping them purchase necessary equipment. This increases the ability of fire departments across the state to fight wildland fires, cooperate on different types of incidents and aid other states in times of need.”
These grants are applied for and processed through Texas A&M Forest Service’s web application, FireConnect, providing the agency and fire departments with a streamlined grant portal and process.
This site also provides a comprehensive directory of Texas fire departments viewable for the public and all Texas fire agencies, as well as a portal for fire departments to submit incident reports to increase statewide situational awareness and track suppression costs.
The Rural VFD Assistance Program, launched in 2001, provides grants to rural VFDs for firefighting vehicles, fire/rescue equipment, protective clothing, dry hydrants and firefighter training. Since its inception, the program has awarded more than $380 million to volunteer fire departments in Texas, including more than $22.4 million in fiscal year 2024. The Texas Legislature has allocated approximately $22 million to Texas A&M Forest Service for the program in fiscal year 2025 to award rural VFDs.
The next funding meeting for the Rural VFD Assistance Program is tentatively scheduled to be held in August.
The Lakelander 