When the sirens sound and the flames rise, they’re the first ones to the scene. Midland firefighters suit up several times each day, and often spend hours in uniforms that aren’t designed to fight West Texas wildfires, but things are about to change.
The latest City Council meeting had the fire department splashed all over the agenda. One of the most important items, is what to do about their uniforms. A new grant will provide better wildfire equipment which will help keep West Texas and the firefighters that protect us safer.
“The guys have to take breaks more often, they become tired very quickly, we go through a lot of water, and there’s always a danger of heat-related injuries,” Chief Russ Conley with the Midland Fire Department said. “We’re trying to prevent that from happening.”
The federal grant covers 80% of the costs leaving the city to foot the rest of the bill.
“We are having more grassfires than we used to, so it’s a good thing we got the grant and able to outfit our firefighters with wildland firefighting gear,” Chief Conley said.
