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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Mathis Volunteer Fire Department Chief Adrian Ramirez showed 3NEWS the department's personal protective gear Wednesday.
"This stuff is already kind of old,” he said.
It did look well worn.
Ramirez says it costs $4,000 to outfit one firefighter with a new jacket, pants, boots and helmet, which is why he hoped two grants applications the city submitted to state officials would eventually be approved.
"One is for $75,000 from the governor‘s office, and the other one is to help underwrite some of our costs for gear and equipment," he said.Equipment like a new jaws-of-life rescue tool, which is used to cut someone out of their wrecked car.
But, city officials visiting the State Capitol on Wednesday were told they can’t get the $75,000 grant, after all.”The $75,000 grant wouldn’t go through because they told us it was for the professional firefighters, you know -- I guess that are paid to be firefighters," said Mathis Mayor Ciri Villarreal told us during a phone interview. "Ours are volunteers.”
On top of that, the city was told that the state has already dedicated its money for this year.
So, this leaves the fire department with having to depend on its most valuable financial tools at hand -- their barbecue pits.”We have these barbecue pits here to help us do a fundraiser for our department to help pay for our gear,” Ramirez said.On Saturday morning, those pits will be fired up and smoking briskets for sandwiches and sausage for wraps. The fundraiser begins at 10:30 a.m. at city hall.
The chief hopes enough people come by to support the department so that he and his crews can continue to serve residents in their time of need.
"The volunteer fire department needs their equipment," Villarreal said. "Their PPE just as much, if not more, than the professional firefighters'.”