March 22, 2017 —
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Fire departments from across the state have provided
firefighters and fire engines that have been stationed throughout the Texas
Panhandle and West Texas for response to wildfires that have burned near 52,000
acres this year.
The engines — brush
trucks specifically designed to battle wildfires — are activated through the
Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS), a statewide agreement that
allows communities to call upon each other during times of need. Local agencies
are reimbursed for all costs by the State of Texas.
“TIFMAS has deployed
seven strike teams of engines with over 100 firefighters to the current fire
danger event,” said Keith Kiplinger, TIFMAS state coordinator.
“We currently have over 4000 certified wildland firefighters and over 5,000
total individuals, ready to respond.”
TIFMAS firefighters
been deployed from Abilene Fire Department, Arlington Fire Department, Austin
Fire Department, Bryan Fire Department, Burkburnett Volunteer Fire Department, City
of Galveston Fire Department, Coleman Fire Department, College Station Fire Department, Coppell
Fire Department, Denton Fire Department, Flower Mound Fire Department, Fort
Worth Fire Department, Frisco Fire Department, Helotes Fire Department, Highland Village Fire Department, Kilgore
Fire Department, Lake Travis Fire/Rescue, Leander Fire Department, Lewisville
Fire Department, Longview Fire Department, Mission Fire Department, Montgomery County ESD #1, Montgomery
County ESD #6, Mount Pleasant Fire Department, Nacogdoches Fire Department, Paris
Fire Department, Parker County ESD #1, Pharr Fire Department, San
Antonio Fire Department, Schertz Fire Department, Southlake Fire Department, Stephenville Fire Department, Vernon
Fire Department, Weatherford Fire Department, Webster Fire Department, Weslaco
Fire Department and Wichita Fall Fire Department.
“TIFMAS is a great
example of Texans helping Texans,” Kiplinger said.
The largest TIFMAS deployment
to date was the response to Hurricane Harvey in 2017 with 985 firefighters and
296 pieces of apparatus from 294 local fire departments across Texas.
Firefighters from
TIFMAS, Texas A&M Forest Service and local fire departments all work
together to combat wildfires in Texas.
TIFMAS is supported by
Texas A&M Forest Service. The program includes grants, training and
qualifications and mobilization systems to make statewide use of local
resources. The program was first used during Hurricane Ike.
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Keith Kiplinger, TIFMAS state coordinator, kiplingerk@ci.nacogdoches.tx.us, 936-559-2541
Phillip Truitt, Texas A&M Forest Service State Public
Information Officer, ptruitt@tfs.tamu.edu, 979-255-0591
Texas A&M Forest Service Communications, newsmedia@tfs.tamu.edu,
979-458-6606