CHICKASHA — The Grady County Fire Department received a grant and a vehicle donated by Gulfport Energy in Oklahoma City last week.
Kim Duke, the department’s finance/records officer, said the $20,000 grant will pay for the acquisition of several natural-gas monitors, plus a calibration unit, to detect gas leaks in homes and businesses. The 2017 Ford pickup will be employed throughout the county as an emergency management response squad vehicle, she said.
The Grady County Fire Department is reported to be the largest volunteer department in Oklahoma.
“We are the largest in numbers of volunteer personnel,” Duke said. “We have approximately 152 volunteers on our roster.”
The department also has a dozen stations in rural Grady County: Acme, Alex, Bailey, Bradley, Cox City, Farwell, Friend, Harold, Naples, Ninnekah, Pioneer and Pocasset.
Although it protects a large area, the department does not cover the entire county. Municipalities such as Amber, Bridge Creek, Blanchard, Chickasha, Minco, Rush Springs, Tuttle and Verden “have their own departments,” Duke noted. However, the Grady County Fire Department does have mutual aid agreements “with all of the surrounding departments,” pledging to provide assistance if requested.
The department, which is underwritten with proceeds from a county sales tax, responded to 988 fire suppression and medical emergency calls last year, call logs reflect.