The Banks Volunteer Fire Department now runs six trucks after picking up a tanker from the state and a used forestry truck this month, the Town of Banks said Saturday.
The town’s announcement also listed three grants and a round of state fire funding received in 2026. Banks sits on U.S. Highway 278 in Bradley County, about 13 miles west of Warren and 13 miles east of Hampton. The 2020 census counted 87 residents. Saline River News first reported the announcement.
What the department added this year
- Tanker truck: The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division awarded the department a tanker the town described as “like new.” The town said the award came last week.
- Backup forestry truck: The department received $20,000 in state Act 833 fire funding in October and used it to buy a used forestry truck as a backup.
- Wildland gear: Early in the year the department received a Wildland Fire Suppression Kit grant worth about $15,000 in gear and tools. The Department of Agriculture buys and hands out the kits to rural volunteer departments.
- Station work: A $89,999.99 Rural Services Block Grant from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission will finish the interior of the new fire station.
The fleet now includes one brush truck, two forestry trucks, two pumpers and one water tanker. The town put the grants and Act 833 money at about $125,000, not counting the value of the tanker.
The fire station grant
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the AEDC announced the block grant July 13 as part of $12.52 million in awards to Arkansas communities. The City of Banks was one of nine Rural Services Block Grant recipients statewide. Ashley County and Tillar in Drew County were also on the list, as iSEARK.com reported in September.
The state’s grant recommendation report says the money will upgrade the station’s electrical system, add heating and air units, set up a new water hookup and reorganize storage for safety gear. Banks received $75,000 from the same program in 2020 to build the station. The town said this is the second time it has won the grant.
What comes next
The department is waiting on a $120,000 application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. If FEMA approves it, the town said the money would replace structural turnout gear and self-contained breathing apparatus.
The town thanked its volunteer firefighters and others who helped with the grants. The new equipment arrives during a dry fall in Bradley County. Bradley was one of eight Southeast Arkansas counties under a burn ban Sunday, and the county had its second-driest January through September on record, according to preliminary NOAA data.
Sources
- Town of Banks: announcement on the town’s official page, Oct. 17, 2026.
- State awards: Office of the Governor and AEDC release, July 13, 2026; AEDC Division of Rural Services FY2026 Rural Services Block Grant recommendation report.
- First reported by: Saline River News.
