Goodyear donates $45,000 in tires to Texas firefighters

By Jennifer Rios
The San Angelo Standard-Times

SAN ANGELO, Texas — Donations continued to roll into the hands of local agencies who fought the Wildcat Fire.

Instead of taking money to the bank, firefighters hauled the donation — $45,000 worth of tires and wheels — to firehouses and tire shops.

Employees at San Angelo's Goodyear Proving Ground listened to department requests and applied through corporate channels to receive the tires.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. donated 102 tires and 24 wheels, which were presented to firefighters Wednesday morning.

Volunteer fire departments with Bronte, Christoval, East Concho, Paint Rock, Pecan Creek, Quail Valley, Robert Lee, Rowena, Sterling County and Wall received tires, as did the Tom Green County Road and Bridge crew.

Harry Thomas, manager of accounting and purchasing at Goodyear Proving Grounds, said tires for Dove Creek are expected to be furnished in the future.

"They made the request through us and then we made the determination, so it's different for each department," Thomas said. "Their needs were different."

Thomas said the tires ranged in value from $350 to $530, depending on the size. Standard-sized wheels were purchased to replace old military-type wheels on some trucks.

"Tires are expensive no matter where you put them and when you're looking at four or six it's a significant investment," he said.

Donations are key to a volunteer fire department's survival.

"Unfortunately, wildfires just brought to the (forefront) the needs of these departments," Thomas said. Paint Rock Volunteer Fire Department was expected to receive four tires for a truck it used in the Wildcat Fire.

"It was an honor to be asked over there and we appreciated everything (the community) did," said Frances Maupin, president of Paint Rocks' department. Paint Rock's department received $1,000 from the San Angelo Health Foundation earlier this year. While firefighters were battling the Wildcat, private and business donations assured they were fed, watered and received vehicle maintenance services. Maupin said he was surprised to receive tires from Goodyear because the department felt it had already been treated generously.

"We're like, 'Wow, we get four new ones,' " Maupin said of her reaction. "It means we can take that money and put it toward something else."

David Spieker, a road and bridge supervisor for the northern part of Tom Green County, said the county requested four truck tires and two motor grader tires, which can run about $900 a piece, for county vehicles.

Between six and 18 county employees have responded to eight or nine blazes in Tom Green or surrounding counties since the wildfire season began.

Other expenses - gas, hydrolic hoses, repairing windshields - come from general Tom Green County funds. It was the first donation the county agency received.

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