Serving the community with pride since 1982, the Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire Department (PGVFD) is hosting two upcoming fundraising events to assist in their efforts to keep the community safe, along with supporting their Chief in a time of need.
The PGVFD Fireball Classic Golf Tournament is scheduled for Monday, May 7th at the Pecan Grove Country Club. A scramble format with four-player teams, registration begins at 10:30 am with a start time of 12:30 pm. Snacks, lunch and dinner will be provided. Following 18 holes of golf, an awards dinner and banquet begins at 5 pm with a silent auction. Teams of four are $500, individual players are $125 and sponsorships range from $500 to $7,500.
The 5 Miles My Way Fun Run is scheduled for Wednesday, July 4th, and an annual sponsorship program allowing community members and businesses to support both events is available. According to PGVFD Chief Joe Woolley, “We call it the 5 Miles My Way Fun Run because you can do it however you want – run, walk, bike, roller skate – even push someone in a wheelbarrow.” There’s a three-mile and a five-mile course that starts at Pecan Grove Country Club, winds its way through the neighborhood and ends back at the club.
For more information regarding upcoming events and sponsorship opportunities, contact PGVFD Community Relations Chairman James Bishop at 832-535-4824 or jamesbishopiv@gmail.com
The Mission
PGVFD Chief Joe Woolley.
The PGVFD is a volunteer 501 (c) 3 fire suppression and first responder organization supported by the community, fundraisers and voluntary donations. It is dedicated to providing the highest degree of emergency response service and community support to Pecan Grove, Waterside Estates, Harvest Green and Plantation Place in Fort Bend County.
The Pecan Grove area is approximately 20 miles southwest of Houston in an unincorporated area of Fort Bend County between Richmond and Sugar Land. PGVFD serves an area of about seven square miles with approximately 19,000 residents, the majority of the area being residential. PGVFD services include primary fire and First Responder medical coverage and HAZMAT, along with non-emergency services such as lock-outs and in-home fire inspections.
The PGVFD was formed in 1982 by a small group of residents who felt that the area deserved its own dedicated fire department. From that dream, the department has steadily grown into a highly qualified and respected organization that prides itself on service to the community. From one used fire truck and a handful of dedicated volunteers, the PGVFD now operates with 24 hour per day manned coverage, one pumper, one pumper/tanker, one rescue truck, a HAZMAT response trailer and two fire stations located at 727 Pitts Road and 3700 Farmer Road, both in Richmond. Constructed in 2012, Fire Station #2, the Farmer Road location, covers 1,500 square feet, with three bays for fire trucks, and houses a total of six firefighters and EMS workers. The PGVFD is proud to claim a less than three-minute response time to 90 percent of its territory.
Putting the Cancer Fire Out
With a command staff led by Chief Joe Woolley, Assistant Chiefs Ken Itzen and Dean Hamrick, the PGVFD family not only works together to put out fires in the community; they are now helping Chief Woolley “put the cancer fire out.” Diagnosed with colon cancer in February, the brotherhood of the PGVFD is assisting the Chief and his family with medical bills.
“I don’t know how to put into words how it feels to have my fellow firefighters’ support,” shared Woolley. “It was a true blessing that they stepped up and created a fund to help me with the large deductibles on my insurance. I’ve been in fire service for 40 plus years, and we are a brotherhood, a family.”
Chief Woolley is currently cancer free and continues with screenings every six months for the next five years. “I plan to lead the PGVFD for many years to come,” shared Woolley. “If the Lord is willing, so am I.”
For more information about Chief Woolley, visit www.youcaring.com/helpchiefwoolleyputoutcancer. For more information about the PGVFD, visit www.pecangrovefire.org.