At the July 17 2018 meeting, PFRA was proud to award three collegiate scholarships to highly-academic daughters of three Plano firefighters. Congratulates to the 2018 PFRA Scholarship Award recipients Hannah Hokit, Kinley Gafford, and Madison Pate.
The PFRA application review committee had a very difficult time being able to select only three recipients as the entire pool of candidates were all outstanding. The committee sends their appreciation to everyone who submitted an application and we know all these students will have a very successful education and career ahead of them.
Kinley Gafford, daughter of Karry “Sam” Gafford, graduated from Bells High School and will be attending Southeastern Oklahoma State University and pursuing a degree in Occupational Safety and Health and hopes to get a job under OSHA that works as a part of the US Department of Labor or as a health and safety supervisor for a company.
Madison Pate, daughter of Deputy Chief Mark Pate, graduated from Rowlett High School and is enrolled in Texas A & M and pursuing a degree in Biomedical Engineering with a goal of becoming a dentist.
Hannah Alyse Hokit, daughter of Jonathan Hokit, graduated from Pilot Point High School and is enrolled in Collin College planning to attain her Associate of Applied Science degree in Commercial Music, and then transfer to Belmont University in Nashville where she plans to major in Songwriting and minor in Music Business. She hopes to work for a major record label as a singer/songwriter/producer in the music industry.
The City of Plano hosted the Sunset at Memorial Park event on May 28th, Memorial Day 2018. Memorial Park in Plano pays tribute to former citizens of Plano who died during major wars since WW I. The event included a motorcycle ride, honor guards, and a 21-gun salute. PFRA photographers John Mouser, Mike Cantrell, and Mike Meyer attended the event and took many pictures and a couple of videos for sharing.
On April 26, 2018, Plano Fire-Rescue brought into service its newest apparatus with a traditional wet-down and push-back. PFR “Truck 2” is a 109 foot rear-mount aerial ladder manufactured by Rosenbauer. It has a 1,250 gallons-per-minute fire pump and a 300 gallon on-board water tank with foam-pumping capabilities. Truck 2 is also equipped with independent front suspension (IFS), a new feature Plano’s other trucks do not have, to improve the ride quality. This is Plano’s fifth aerial ladder truck, and it’s crew will perform specialized duties such as ventilation, forcible entry, operating aerial master streams and elevated rescue.