The renovation and expansion of the fire station has been on the minds of city officials and firefighters since the 1990's.

Augusta's Fire Chief Roger Audette tells us it's a necessary modernization of a historic downtown building.

"There were horses running out of the station when they first built it so it's tight, it's overcrowded, the floor is not structurally strong enough to hold what we need. And this is the oldest part of the city. There 1000 apartment buildings in Augusta, this is where the bulk of the population lives. It's very important that we're here and able to deliver the services and get there in a hurry," said Audette.

“I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to Sen. Stabenow and Peters and their offices for their support for fire departments and grant programs like the SAFER,” said Steve Martin, fire chief of the Lincoln Park Fire Department. “This grant will allow us to hire six additional firefighters, helping us to operate at a safer level, and continue our mission to serve the citizens of Lincoln Park, assist our surrounding communities and protect our residents. We appreciate the support of Sen. Stabenow, Sen. Peters and other state and local officials, who help make it possible for the Lincoln Park Fire Department to protect the life and property of the citizens we serve.”

According to the Texas A&M Forest Service website, the program provides funding to rural volunteer fire departments for the acquisition of firefighting vehicles, fire and rescue equipment, protective clothing, fire hydrants, computer systems and firefighter training. It is a cost-share program funded by the Texas State Legislature.

Departments eligible for this program have to be recognized non-profit volunteer fire department operated by its members. Any part-paid and part-volunteer fire department with 20 or fewer paid members are eligible.

The 2017 KME Ford F-550 Super Duty Mini-Pumper is equipped with 4-wheel-drive, turbo diesel, and a 1,000 GPM (gallons per minute) pump. The new Mini-Pumper replaces the current 16-year-old mini-pumper which was used as a trade-in.