Christmas came early for local fire departments

MARTIN COUNTY - On Friday afternoon, the Permian Strategic Partnership and Permian Road Safety Coalition continued its $1.1 million First Responder Life-Saving Equipment Initiative.

The initiative began with a donation to the Northeast Midland Volunteer Fire Department earlier this month and this week it was the Volunteer Fire Departments in Martin County receiving the donaiton.

The donated kit included Jaws of Life, portable lighting, electronic road flares, gloves, face shield, H2S gas monitor and its respective charger.

PRSC Executive Director Scott Scheffler said there will be 158 kits given to 22 counties in the Permian Basin. Each kit cost about $20,000.

“We are about preventing accidents, but we also know that it takes time to change behaviors of drivers and it takes time to change company culture,” Scheffler said. “While we are doing that and while we are building that knowledge in these companies, we know the crashes are still happening and we want to get this stuff out there and onto the highways.”

The 22 counties in the Permian Basin include Andrews, Borden, Crane, Culberson, Dawson, Ector, Gaines, Glasscock, Howard, Loving, Martin, Midland, Pecos, Reagan, Reeves, Terrell, Upton, Ward, Winkler, and Yoakum Counties in Texas; and Eddy and Lea counties in New Mexico.

PSP president and CEO Tracee Bentley said “Just knowing the impact that (this kit) is going to have right here and then multiply that by 150 times, it’s going to be amazing.”

Members of the Stanton Volunteers Fire Department, Lenorah Volunteer Fire Department , and Ackerly Volunteer Fire Department were thrilled with the new equipment but hope they never have to use.