Sadler Fire Department (SFD) will be holding a fundraiser BBQ Dinner at their fire station on Saturday, April 13. This will be one of their bigger fundraisers for the year and they are hoping for a good turnout from the community. The dinner is part of a larger effort by the SFD to be visible and active in the community.
Chief Terry Garrison was elected by the SFD membership last October to serve as Fire Chief. With that election came a commitment to build SFD and make many improvements along the way. That has started small, with a social media presence on Facebook (Sadler Fire Department), a new department logo design, new graphics on the fire apparatus and efforts to improve the fire station, which doubles as the community center in Sadler.
The fire department runs an engine and a brush truck and ran over 200 emergency calls last year. The calls ranged from medical first response to working fires, and currently SFD has 13 volunteers making those emergency calls. While SFD’s primary district is the city of Sadler and the immediate surrounding area, SFD will respond to neighboring fire districts regularly when asked for help, including the districts Whitesboro, Southmayd and Gordonville.
SFD is funded by two sources. First, the Grayson County subsidy given to all departments in the county for fire protection. This amount is very minimal when compared to what it takes to fund the annual operation of SFD. The second source of funding is donations. Dinners, like the one next weekend, are a big source for raising donations. Many local volunteer fire departments rely on donations to keep their doors open, and Sadler is no different.
With 13 volunteers, it takes a lot of work and time to put on a dinner like this, and SFD has relied on additional help to pull it off. Sponsorship levels are still available for the dinner. The Engineer Sponsor level is $250, followed by the Captain Sponsor Level with a $500 donation. The Chief Sponsor level is $1,000. All the money raised goes strictly to improving the department and its equipment.
The department is 100% volunteer and is always looking for more help. Chief Garrison wants to make sure potential volunteers know that no training or experience is necessary to join the department.
“While having training is helpful, it is in no way a requirement. We won’t turn anyone away looking to volunteer because they don’t have experience,” Garrison said.
If you are interested in volunteering, sponsoring the fundraising dinner, donating or simply asking questions about the Sadler Fire Department, you can call Chief Garrison at 903-825-8036. The department, and fundraiser dinner, are located at 101 North Main Street in Sadler. The meal is BBQ brisket and sausage with beans and coleslaw and starts at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 13. There is no published cost -- just whatever you would like to donate for the meal.
