Thanks to a historic investment by the 89th Texas Legislature, Texas A&M Forest Service approved an additional $17.6 million in funding to award 687 fire and rescue equipment grants and 66 dry hydrant grants to Texas volunteer fire departments through the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program on Dec. 5.
In San Jacinto County, $25,000 grants were given to the Coldspring VFD, Shepherd VFD, 980 North VFD, Bear Creek VFD, Camilla Twin Harbor VFD, Cape Area VFD, Oakhurst VFD, Punkin-Evergreen VFD, and Waterwood VFD, all to be used for equipment purchases.
Oakhurst also received a grant of $2,400 for a dry hydrant.
In October, Shepherd received $265,000 for a large brush truck; 980 North received $300,000 for a water tender and $45,000 for a slip-on unit; Bear Creek received $45,000 for a slip-on unit; Camilla Twin Harbor received $300,000 for a water tender; Cape Area received $45,000 for a slip-on unit; Oakhurst received $300,000 for a water tender and $45,000 for a slip-on unit; Punkin-Evergreen received $45,000 for a slip-on unit; and Waterwood received $300,000 for a water tender and $45,000 for a slip-on unit.
The Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program was established by Texas House Bill 2604 in 2001 to provide grants to rural volunteer fire departments for essential firefighting equipment and training. Since its onset, the program has awarded more than $500 million in grants to Texas fire departments.
The latest funding was the second phase in distributing over $192 million to Texas volunteer fire departments, following an appropriation approved by the 89th Texas Legislature for departments that submitted funding requests on or before Nov. 7, 2024.
Approximately $88 million in base funding for fiscal years 2026-27 was also appropriated for this program during the legislative session — the most ever allocated — to address ongoing needs for critical equipment at the local level.
Additional funding for personal protective equipment and training aids will be awarded to Texas fire departments in the coming months.
Texas fire departments are eligible to apply for grants and assistance through FireConnect, a Texas A&M Forest Service database that provides a streamlined grant portal for the agency and fire departments.
FireConnect also provides a comprehensive directory of Texas fire departments viewable by the public and all Texas fire agencies, as well as a portal for fire departments to submit incident reports and search for firefighting equipment when mutual aid is needed on emergency scenes.
