Texas A&M Forest Service

 

 

Tue
15
Oct

Spicewood Area VFD Kaiser brush truck restoration sparks interest

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Contributed
Andrew Hunt, Philip Mason, Jason Johnson and Hector Valdez were among Spicewood Area Volunteer Fire Department members who contributed to the completion of a 1967 Kaiser refurbished over the past eight years to make it a fully-functional brush truck.

 

 

 

 

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

A vintage 1967 Kaiser Jeep – restored, re-fitted and refurbished as a brush truck – has become the latest accomplishment by Spicewood Area Volunteer Fire Department crews in the their tough task to maintain an effective firefighting unit.

The Jeep – which is the third one for the VFD – was a Texas A&M Forest Service vehicle in which the Spicewood agencies purchased for about $5,000 eight years ago in Hondo.

The history of the vintage vehicle goes back to the Vietnam era.

Fri
16
Mar

Firefighters create MFHS 'defensible space'

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Richard Zowie/The Highlander

No, Dan Kramer of the Marble Falls Area Fire Department isn’t buying a Christmas tree. Instead, he’s worked with other area firefighters March 14 to create a “defensible space” behind the Marble Falls High School Auditorium. Such spaces are designed to reduce the likelihood of a wildfire spreading to areas where the spaces are maintained. This includes the high school and area residences.

By Richard Zowie

The Highlander

Anyone driving on the road behind the Marble Falls High School Auditorium on March 14 might have mistaken Dan Kramer, of the Marble Falls Area Fire Department, for an eager shopper trying to get ahead for the 2018 Christmas Tree season.

Working with several men with power tools and other devices used for trimming brush and shrubbery, Kramer carried a freshly-cut tall green shrub towards the road.

But instead of strapping it to the top of a vehicle or into a truck bed and taking it home to decorate, Kramer took the shrub to a wood chipper.

Soon, machine reduced the dark green shrub into mulch.

Kramer and the rest of those with him, including members of the Marble Falls Fire and Rescue, were creating a “defensible space” at the high school that will help protect the school from any future wild fires.

Tue
26
Dec

Hoover Valley VFD welcomes new brush truck

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Glynis Crawford Smith

Joe Schreiber, chief of Hoover Valley Volunteer Fire And Emergency Services admires features of the new 2017 Ford F 550 brush truck delivered to the department Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 20. It will be christened the Iva Avery in honor of the citizen who rounded out the purchase price of more than $100,000, funded primarily by the Texas Forest Service.

 

 

 

 

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

It was a red letter day for Hoover Valley Volunteer Fire And Emergency Services on Wednesday, Dec. 20. They took possession of a new, state-of-the art brush truck to be known as the Iva Avery.

A check representing an almost $100,000 grant to purchase the vehicle was delivered, along with the truck by Nicole Lang, central branch fire coordinator for the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Brush Truck 5350 will be christened the Iva Avery for an important reason. That is the name of a single supporter who made sure the purchase would happen as soon as the grant came through. The volunteer fire department had been in line for the grant since 2014. To be sure they would be able to meet their match of a small percentage of the purchase price, Avery made her donation in advance.

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