By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor

When Lamar County Farm Bureau (CFB) found itself with some extra funds in the budget at the end of the fiscal year, the board members knew just what to do with the money.

“We had some extra funds since we didn’t hold our county convention this year, and the volunteer fire departments (VFDs) couldn’t hold their usual fundraisers because of COVID-19. So, we tried to help them out a little bit,” Lamar CFB President Mike Winters said.

Despite a countywide population of nearly 50,000, Paris is the only city large enough to fund and staff a fire station.

“It’s a pretty good-sized county, so we have a lot of VFDs—19 to be exact,” Winters said. “The firefighters in Paris don’t respond outside the city limits. So, when we have grass fires, fires in rural housing, stuff like that, it’s usually up to the VFDs to take care of it.”

Like most VFDs across Texas, those in Lamar County are funded through a combination of sources but rely heavily on fundraisers and donations to cover operational costs and purchase new equipment.

Winters noted normal community fundraising activities were severely limited this year by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and VFDs are feeling the pinch.

Many Lamar CFB members are rural residents, so giving back to those who help the members just makes sense, Winters said.

“A lot of times, when someone lives out in the country and they call an ambulance, the first responders out of the VFDs arrive before the ambulance does,” Winters said. “They’ll get there prior to the ambulance and work to stabilize the person or do whatever they need to do until the ambulance can catch up.”

Lamar CFB donated $1,000 to each VFD in the county for a total donation of $19,000. The funds were presented to Lamar County Volunteer Firefighters Association President Roger Bussell, who will distribute the funds equally between all county VFDs.

“We just were trying to think of ways to help the county out, and we figured this is the best way we can help,” Winters said. “We’re giving back to the community that supports us.”