District Nine Volunteer Fire Dept. acquires new trucks from area departments

HOWARDWICK, Texas (KFDA) - The District Nine Volunteer Fire Department just received its very first trucks as a newly formed fire department in Donley County.

The five total vehicles they have now are passed down from other fire departments.

“We acquired the first one from the Lefors Fire Department along with a rescue vehicle, an old ambulance that we’re working on. The next truck we got was the 1978 pumper from the City of White Deer and the White Deer Volunteer Fire Department,” said District Nine VFD Assistant Fire Chief Coy Cooper. “The third truck we received was from Cactus Fire Department which is an F700. And then we also received a two-and-a-half ton military truck from the Darrouzett Volunteer Fire Department.”

The volunteer fire department is based near Howardwick and they say the trucks are just what they need for their response area.

“There’s been two fires just down the road from my house in the last two years, and without a fire-fighting entity closer than Clarendon, we have a problem,” said District Nine VFD firefighter Eric Riddle.

“A lot of these trucks are brush trucks which helps with the wildland fires that we have in this area and with the canyons and stuff that we go in and out of,” said Cooper. “Can’t use a normal fire truck in this area because it’s not designed for it. So we have trucks that are four-wheel drive and ready to go that can handle the terrain.”

Cooper said they’re just weeks away from being in service.

“We have to put the insurance on them through the state of Texas and re-tag them, which is no big deal,” he said. “That’ll be done within a week, week and a half. And change the names on them.”

The District Nine Volunteer Fire Department appreciates the support from other departments, but still needs the community's support for a building.

“It’s something we’re going to have to get after,” said District Nine VFD firefighter and Chaplain Jim Fox. “And we need a building bad to get these trucks and get some heat and work on them and get them ready to roll so we can rumble after these fires.”

They’re currently selling tickets to raffle of a Firefighter rifle to raise money for a building.

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