Del Rio Fire Department to Showcase Grant-Funded Equipment Feb. 10

Del Rio will host a public Fire Department Equipment Showcase to display new vehicles and gear acquired through the FY2025 Border Zone Fire Grant Program, an event that officials say could improve emergency response capacity across Val Verde County. The showcase is set for Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. at Del Rio City Hall, 109 W. Broadway.

The event listing announcing the showcase identifies the grant by name and notes the department will highlight new vehicles and equipment received through the program, including a Ford F-350 u. The equipment line in the notice is truncated and did not list a full inventory, so the full roster of vehicles and outfitting will be most visible at the City Hall presentation.

The showcase comes as local and regional emergency services continue to recover from historic flooding earlier this summer that damaged infrastructure across Central Texas. The Rotary Club of Del Rio has stepped into that recovery effort with a community fundraising campaign. Under the heading "Supporting our Neighbors," the club announced a donation of $20,000 total, presenting $10,000 checks to the Hunt Volunteer Fire Department and the Center Point Volunteer Fire Department. Both volunteer departments lost their fire stations during the floods, and the Rotary release said the funds were raised through the club’s Rotary Rally for Relief, launched within a week of the flooding.

Those donations were designated to help rebuild fire stations, replace essential equipment such as fire trucks and protective gear, and resume operations as swiftly as possible. The Rotary announcement credited the relief effort to "the generosity and support of local businesses, civic organizations, and residents of Del Rio who came together." For more information about the Rotary effort, the club listed Cheryl Simmons, President, as a contact.

For Del Rio residents the twin developments matter for everyday safety. New grant-funded apparatus on display could translate into faster scene control and more reliable mutual aid between city and rural volunteer departments. Rebuilding and replacing equipment at Hunt and Center Point addresses gaps in the emergency response network that can affect trauma care, evacuations, and medical transports in flood-prone and border-zone communities.

The events also highlight larger policy challenges in Val Verde County and similar regions - the chronic reliance on volunteer departments, the uneven impact of climate-driven flooding on small jurisdictions, and the patchwork role of civic groups and grant programs in restoring capacity. The Feb. 10 showcase will be a chance to see what federal grant dollars bought and to assess remaining needs in equipment, station rebuilding, and protective gear replacement.

Residents interested in viewing the equipment and learning more about how it will be used are invited to the public showcase at Del Rio City Hall. The Rotary Club of Del Rio and local officials expect the display to illustrate recent investments in community resilience and to focus attention on next steps for fully restoring front-line emergency services.