VIDEO: Volunteers make up 65% of U.S. firefighters, and communities across the country rely on them in emergencies of all kinds. The Whitesboro Fire Department is one of seven in Texas to receive a $10,000 grant thanks to a joint partnership between State Farm and the National Volunteer Fire Council.
The department used the funds to get two new transport devices. “Stair chairs enable us to get into really tight places, things like RVs, hoarder homes, some of these lake houses, boats on the shoreline,” said Lt. Joshua Velten of the Whitesboro Fire Department. “They give us an opportunity to lift these patients, and move them over rugged areas and really confined spaces.” Velten said what looks like a simple chair, has a $4,200 price tag. Now, the 15 minute wait for one crew to pass it off to the next will be no more, leading to quicker care and response. Whitesboro Fire, which has both paid and volunteer firefighters, gets several fall calls in their service area.
