Go Volunteer Firefighters

• 37,000 volunteer firefighters protect the 654 billion land acres of Texas. That’s 17.7 million acres per volunteer. 96.6% of Texas is rural.
• Oil well fires burn so hot that dashboards in cars 500 feet away from the flame source can melt.
• Bunker gear adds 50-60 pounds of weight to the firefighter.
• Volunteer firefighters are required to complete the same training as paid firefighters.
• Volunteer fire departments are required to have the same equipment, tools, protective gear as paid departments.
• Volunteer firefighters aren’t paid and volunteer fire departments have to come up with funding to acquire what they need.
• Volunteer firefighters often do vehicle maintenance and pay for fuel from their own pockets. They don’t bother to save receipts because either they don’t have time to wait or there’s no money to reimburse them.