Coryell County fire departments win grants for gear and equipment

Three Coryell County volunteer fire departments will have new money to put toward the gear crews depend on when a wildfire, house fire or rescue call turns urgent. Flat Volunteer Fire Department received $25,000 for fire and rescue equipment, Turnersville Volunteer Fire Department received $25,000 for personal protective equipment, and Levita Volunteer Fire Department received $4,800 for a dry hydrant.

The three awards, totaling $54,800, came through Texas A&M Forest Service’s Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program. Statewide, the agency approved $29.3 million in grants in the program’s fourth funding round, with 531 departments and agencies receiving awards across Texas. For Coryell County, that means local departments secured support in a highly competitive pool at a time when crews are expected to be first on scene in much of the county.

The purchases matter in practical ways that residents will notice the next time smoke is on the horizon or a siren cuts through a rural road. Flat’s grant can help the department replace or add fire and rescue equipment needed for suppression and rescue work. Turnersville’s money is aimed at personal protective equipment, the kind of clothing and gear that shields volunteers from heat, embers and collapsing structures. Levita’s dry hydrant grant will improve water access in an area where every minute spent finding a reliable water source can slow an attack on a brush fire or structure fire.

Texas A&M Forest Service says the program can also fund firefighting vehicles, dry-hydrants, firefighter training, volunteer recruitment resources and emergency assistance after catastrophic events and declared disasters. The agency said more than 85 percent of Texas fire departments are volunteer, which is why grants like these often fill gaps that small departments cannot cover on their own.

The funding comes with broader state backing. The 89th Texas Legislature appropriated about $88 million for fiscal years 2026-27, the most ever allocated for the biennium, and also provided more than $192 million for outstanding unfunded requests, bringing fiscal year 2026 awards to $225 million so far. Texas A&M Forest Service said the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program has been administered under the Legislature since 2002 and was established by House Bill 2604 in 2001.

The grants also fit into Coryell County’s wider wildfire-preparedness work after a series of fires across Gatesville and surrounding areas. County partners have been developing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan with Texas A&M Forest Service, Natural Resource Solutions L.C. and the American Conservation Foundation, aimed at sharpening response in both rural areas and the City of Gatesville. For local taxpayers, the bottom line is simple: better gear, safer volunteers and a stronger first line of defense when the next emergency hits.