Bowie County Community Spotlight-New Boston VFD

When most people think of volunteer firefighters, they think of lights and sirens,  buildings ablaze, or even kitties stuck in trees.  And while the life of a firefighter does include the aforementioned - quite often in fact – there is a whole lot more to being part of a volunteer fire department than what meets the eye.  

The New Boston Volunteer Fire Department is a group of hard-working, civic-minded individuals who spend countless hours in dedicated service to the community.  Many of them hold down full-time jobs, while still finding time for training, drill, meetings and the countless community projects that the department is involved in.   In 2019 alone, NBVFD members volunteered their time at nearly thirty school and community projects in addition to responding to calls for smell of gas/smoke, motor vehicle accidents or fires, LifeNet/EMS assists, non-emergency lift assists, grass fires, structure fires and other miscellaneous incidents.  The department also coordinates our area’s Toys for Tots program, as well as various other programs involving home safety and inspection.

New Boston Fire Chief Deborah Atkinson says it’s all in a day’s work for her group of dedicated volunteers.  “We stay really busy year round,” she said.  “But everything we do is benefitting the community in some way, and that is all that matters.”