East Post Oak Volunteer Department may be considered as one of the smaller departments that serves Lamar County, however, they are still one of the busiest.
They not only service aid in the East Post Oak district, they also respond as mutual aid to departments such as Blossom, Faught, Detroit and Powderly. Now in their time of need, they are asking the community to rally behind them and help them secure a replacement fire truck after an unfortunate accident that happened earlier this year.
“The East Post Oak Volunteer Fire Department wants to thank you for your valuable support over the many years of this department. Your support makes it possible for us to serve this community with fire and first responder medical services,” said department chief Verlon Vaughn in a statement.
On January 23, this year, they lost their fire Engine in the line of duty while responding to an Emergency call. Chicota VFD answered the immediate call to assist and had graciously loaned them one of their engines to use temporarily.
The department has also received a state emergency grant which will go a long way towards securing a new fire engine, but it leaves them in dire need of raising approximately $20,000 to cover their part of the grant.
“This new engine will be able to serve as a Type 1 fire engine which is needed for structural fires and to keep up our new fire rating. It will also be able to serve as a 2,000-gallon tanker to aid Blossom and Faught VFDs, which we provide mutual aid to, and to other local departments as needed,” explained Vaughn.
The department has been making advancements in their ability to better serve this community. They are continuing to gain new recruits and train them. The department has also been adding fire hydrants throughout the district.
“All this work has led to the department receiving a better fire rating from ISO, which rates fire departments for insurance companies leading to better home insurance rates for you,” said Vaughn.
“We need your help to reach this monetary goal to gain this asset for our community! COVID-19 makes traditional fundraising impossible so we are reaching out to you asking for your help. We are asking for donations of any size from our community members to help us in acquiring this engine so that our fire rating will not change and we can continue to serve you at the same level as we have in the past. All donations are tax deductible,” said assistant chief Henry Blacknon.
“We take pride in our service to our community and we want to be the best we can be for you and your families. Please consider a donation to help us acquire this much needed equipment. We are available to answer any questions,” said Vaughn.
If you would like to help East Post Oak etch further to their goal of raising $20,00 to fully secure the new apparatus you can contact; Verlon Vaughn, Chief East Post Oak VFD on 903-982-6463, or Henry Blacknon, Asst. Chief on 903-715-0298.
If you wish to send a check for any monetary value you can post your check to:
East Post Oak Volunteer Fire Dept.
6004 FM 1502
Detroit, Texas 75436
Checks are to be made payable to East Post Oak Volunteer Fire Department.
