Editor’s Note: This is one in a series featuring the agencies supported by the Scurry County United Way campaign.
Snyder Volunteer Fire Department, Inc., uses the funds it receives from the Scurry County United Way campaign to spread awareness about fire prevention and fire safety.
Deputy Fire Marshal Brad Bawcum is the spokesperson for the department and said nearly all of the funds go toward fire prevention programs.
“Pretty much our whole fire prevention budget comes from United Way and donations,” Bawcum said. “We use that money to buy the plastic fire helmets for the kids and rulers and pencils that say, ‘Stop, Drop and Roll’ on them.”
Two years ago, the United Way funds were used to purchase the Sparky the Fire Dog suit. Sparky and the fire department present fire prevention presentations for all Scurry County school districts, as well as Snyder Christian School.
“We visit each of the county schools or they come visit us at the fire station sometimes,” Bawcum said. “We’ve even done some outside of the county before, at Borden County and places like that. We talk to them about stop, drop and roll and about having a plan for getting out of the house in the case of a fire.”
October is the fire department’s busiest month for fire prevention programs because it is National Fire Prevention Month. In addition to the school visits, the fire department visits several daycares during October.
Bawcum said the fire department presents programs for more than 5,000 or more children per year.
Bawcum said the fire department hopes to use United Way funds in the future to purchase an inflatable fire prevention education center to teach children what to do in the case of a fire.
“They could walk through it and learn to stay low to the ground and there would be fire prevention slogans on the walls,” Bawcum said. “We would have to save up for that. But the United Way helps us with all our fire prevention education.”