The Sugar Hill Volunteer Fire Department is located in the Sugar Hill community in northeastern Titus County. The Sugar Hill Volunteer Fire Department was organized on July 15, 2000 with Stephen Buchanan serving as its first chief. The department was organized with help from the Talco and Mount Pleasant fire departments and Titus County Commissioner's Court to reduce the response time to the Sugarhill area from Talco and Mount Pleasant.
The Talco Fire Department donated a 1977 Dodge Ram 4 wheel drive brush fire truck built on a one ton chassis that it had recieved from the Texas Forest Service. The Titus County Commissioner's Court gave them a 1989 Chevrolet 3/4 ton truck, which the Sugar Hill VFD converted into a medical first response and light rescue vehicle.
A two bay metal building was constructed at 60 Titus County Road 3925, near the intersection of Titus County Road 3920.
The department grew rapidly. A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant allowed the Sugar Hill department to purchase its first engine, Engine 20, in 2004. It is an Emergency One Commercial Pumper equipped with a 1,250 gallon per minute pump and a 1,000 gallon water tank. The pumper is built on a Freightliner chassis with a Mercedes-Benz engine.
By 2004, the fast-growing department had outgrown its original two bay station. They were able to expand their station to 6 bays funded solely by donations from community residents.
Chief Jerry Clark said that the department has an average membership of 15 volunteer firefighters, but has had as high as 25 members at times. The Sugar Hill Volunteer Fire Department currently has 16 members, and is somewhat unique in that 50% of its members are ladies. The department meets on the first and third Tuesday night of each month. A business meeting is held on the first Tuesday of the month and training is provided at the meeting held on the third Tuesday. The department trains its members approximately 36 hours a year. Two members are state certified structure firefighters, seven are county certified structure firefighters, five are state certified Emergency Care Attendants, one is a state certified Paramedic, 15 are First Aid certified, and 15 are Automatic External Defibrillator certified.
In addition to their firefighting duties, the Sugar Hill Volunteer Fire Department acts as first responders to traffic accidents and medical emergencies in their community and is the only Titus County department officially licensed as first responders. They have applied for a grant to purchase a Hurst Jaws of Life to use in extricating victims of motor vehicle crashes. They are also called to conduct searches for people lost in the bottoms and wooded areas around Sugar Hill. The department is one of only two Titus County fire departments to have four wheelers that stay loaded on trailers ready to respond to search and rescue calls.
Normal communications are handled through multi-channel VHF and UHF FM radios. The department runs mobile enhancers (repeaters) in all trucks to extend the reach of their hand held walkie talkies. The Sugar Hill fire district is a remote area of the county and includes areas where radios and cellular telephones don't work because they are too far from the nearest tower. The Sugar Hill VFD has a satellite telephone to communicate from the "dead spots" where normal communication equipment doesn't work.
An annual operating budget of some $15,000 is required to support its operations. The department has had to hold numerous fund raising activities to raise the funds necesary to meet their operating expenses over and above the operating funds provided by the County Commissioner's Court. Members of the community have donated horses which the Sugar Hill VFD auctioned off to raise funds, and the department has held annual fund raisers. They also laid floor tile for churches and private homes in order to raise the money required.
The Sugar Hill VFD also gives back to the community. They have a program where they install smoke detectors and replace batteries in existing detectors for the elderly each Christmas.
