October 31, 2016 — ROXTON, Texas — A $200,000 grant from Texas A&M Forest Service’s Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program enabled Roxton Volunteer Fire Department to purchase a new tender.
“This tender is a new addition to our fleet and will be replacing a small tender that carried about half as much water,” said Roxton VFD Chief David Niblett.
The 2017 four-door International cab can carry up to five firefighters, holds 3,000 gallons of water, has a 1,000 gallon per minute pump, and a light tower which can illuminate an incident scene to increase safety and efficiency.
The truck will be particularly useful for structure fires due to the increased water capacity and pump, according to Niblett.
“It will resolve the water issues that we have had. The 3,000 gallons of water will allow us to have an adequate amount of water while waiting on the other tenders to arrive,” Niblett said. “It will also enable us to hook up to our city fire hydrants, fill the tank, disconnect and not tie up the city water supply.”
Roxton VFD, which covers approximately 116 square miles in Lamar County, meets twice a month on Thursday evenings and is open to new volunteers.
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 fire departments for the acquisition of firefighting vehicles, fire and rescue equipment, protective clothing, dry-hydrants, computer systems and firefighter training.
To learn more about the fire department assistance programs offered by Texas A&M Forest Service, visit http://texasfd.com.