Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

National Fire Plan banner

National Fire Plan Success Story

NPS Provides RFA Grant to Local Fire Department
Big Bend National Park, Texas
National Fire Plan - Community Assistance
2009

Big Bend National Park provided $4,500 in rural fire assistance (RFA) funding to the Marathon Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) in 2009. The funding will help provide emergency communication equipment and software to local firefighters.

The park has provided RFA funding to local volunteer fire departments to improve their wildland firefighting capability each year since 2001. This ongoing partnership helps foster collaboration at the local level and improves firefighter safety.

“The RFA grant from the National Park Service has enabled MVFD to purchase new radios that will allow the officers to have full communication abilities with the State and Federal agencies on fires. Previously the radios the officers used had limited ability, utilizing only local channels and three mutual aid channels. The department will now have all fire tactical frequencies that are required. The additional radios will allow the newer members to carry communications with them at home and in the field, greatly decreasing response times and increasing firefighter safety” stated Chief Daniel Eaton, Marathon VFD.

Contact: Tim Beck, Acting Fire Management Officer, (432) 477-2554.