West Mountain VFD

05/16/2026

Many people only see the work our volunteers do when the pager goes off, but what often goes unseen is the dedication they also pour into their careers, families, and communities outside the department.

Today, we want to recognize Firefighter Jennifer Bardwell for an incredible accomplishment in her full-time profession.

This week, Jennifer was recognized by her peers for the compassion, professionalism, exemplary effort, and dedication she demonstrates daily as a Nurse Practitioner. Through the many personal hardships she has faced over the years, she has continued to serve her patients with unwavering commitment and care.

Whether serving her community in the fire service, caring for patients as a DNP, or simply being a proud dog-mom, Jennifer exemplifies what servant leadership looks like.

We are proud to have her as part of our department and thankful for the heart she brings to everything she does. Congratulations, Jennifer — this recognition is well deserved!

05/10/2026

THIS WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO THE STORM WEAKING.

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service Shreveport LA
227 PM CDT Sun May 10 2026

The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
North Central Gregg County in northeastern Texas...
Upshur County in northeastern Texas...

* Until 315 PM CDT.

* At 227 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Rosewood, or
9 miles west of Gilmer, moving east at 35 mph. Quarter size hail
was reported at Holly Lake Ranch from this storm.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to
roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...
Gilmer, Ore City, East Mountain, West Mountain, Rosewood, Diana,
Cedar Springs, Midway, Bettie, Pritchett, Grice and Judson.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Seek shelter inside a well-built structure and stay away from
windows. This storm is capable of producing damaging winds and large
hail.

Report severe weather to your nearest law enforcement agency or the
National Weather Service office in Shreveport LA.

05/10/2026

The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
Northwestern Upshur County in northeastern Texas...
Southeastern Wood County in northeastern Texas...

* Until 245 PM CDT.

* At 151 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Quitman, or 9
miles northeast of Mineola, moving east at 25 mph.

HAZARD...Quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Damage to vehicles is expected.

* Locations impacted include...
Quitman, Big Sandy, Hainesville, Rosewood, Perryville and Grice.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Seek shelter inside a well-built structure and stay away from
windows. This storm is capable of producing large hail.

&&

LAT...LON 3270 9555 3290 9548 3290 9499 3258 9510
TIME...MOT...LOC 1850Z 288DEG 20KT 3278 9544

HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...

04/25/2026

UPDATE THE TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE POST IS NOW OLD AS OF 11:11PM

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Shreveport LA
1020 PM CDT Fri Apr 24 2026

The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
Southwestern Camp County in northeastern Texas...
Central Upshur County in northeastern Texas...

* Until 1100 PM CDT.

* At 1020 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a
tornado was located 6 miles south of Pittsburg, moving southeast at
35 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado.

SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without
shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage
to roofs, windows and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is
likely.

* Locations impacted include...
Gladewater, Gilmer, Pittsburg, East Mountain, West Mountain, Diana,
Union Grove, Midway and Bettie.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a well-built building
away from windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a
vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself
from flying debris.

Tornadoes are difficult to observe at night. Take cover now!

&&

LAT...LON 3295 9512 3300 9497 3270 9470 3267 9470
3266 9473 3266 9476 3263 9478 3254 9498
TIME...MOT...LOC 0319Z 331DEG 31KT 3292 9500

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN

04/23/2026

We are so proud of our Training Officer Firefighter Josh Bardwell on a well deserved award of Northeast Texas Firefighter of the Year! Josh brings our volunteer department over 25 years of fire experience. He has served not only our community and county, Josh was a county firefighter, engineer and most recent Lieutenant with Smith County ESD2, served as the Regional Fire Coordinator with the Texas Forest Service in Northeast Texas for years assisting our volunteer fire departments with much needed grants and equipment, and served as a federal firefighter as an engine boss and helitack firefighter on national incidents with the US Forest Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service. He and his wife have volunteered on 3 mission trips to Africa to train our fellow African firefighters on fire safety and new fire suppression tactics. We are so proud to have Josh and all his expertise with our volunteer fire department and county. Please help us congratulate Josh on this much deserved award! Thank you for all you do Josh!

Our Spring District Meeting was held at Dangerfield Fire Department this past Saturday. Although Josh Bardwell was unable to be in attendance, he was awarded Firefighter of the Year for the Northeast Texas District.
This award is a small token of gratitude to the selflessness this man exemplifies. His knowledge, love for others, bettering all aspects of the fire service, and leadership radiate from him to all those he encounters.
Josh will now go on to compete at the State Firefighters' and Fire Marshals' Association of Texas annual conference for FFOY for the entire state!! We want to wish him the best of luck as he represents not only this district, but his love for the fire service as a whole.

03/21/2026

We want to give a huge thank you to the Pine Tree ISD Automotive Program students and their instructor, Mr. Brian Brown, for their hard work and dedication in helping improve our apparatus. Because of their efforts, we can now see much better while traveling down the road at night with the addition of new LED lights and the replacement of our original headlights.

Projects like this are a great example of what CTE programs are all about—training and equipping the next generation of the workforce with real, hands-on experience that makes a difference in their community.

This opportunity was made possible by one of our own firefighter who also serves as an educator in the CTE program. We are grateful for the partnership and the investment being made into both our department and these students.

Thank you again to everyone involved and to Pine Tree ISD Career and Technical Education for doing a great job in preparing students for the trades.

03/16/2026

ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS EXPECTED FOR ALL OF OUR FOUR STATE REGION WHICH INCLUDES EXTREME SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA, SOUTHWEST & SOUTH-CENTRAL ARKANSAS, EAST TEXAS, AND NORTHERN & CENTRAL LOUISIANA...

Weather conditions will be favorable for wildfire growth.

* TIMING: Through 7 PM Monday Evening.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY: Afternoon minimums will range from 15 to 25 percent.

* WIND: 15 to 20 sustained with gusts near 25 to 30 mph.

* FUELS: Dry.

These conditions will support the spread of wildfires. Outdoor burning and activities that involve open sparks or flames are discouraged. Please report all wildfires to local law enforcement as soon as possible.

03/15/2026

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service Shreveport LA
440 PM CDT Sun Mar 15 2026

The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
Southwestern Cass County in northeastern Texas...
Northern Cherokee County in northeastern Texas...
Gregg County in northeastern Texas...
Western Harrison County in northeastern Texas...
Marion County in northeastern Texas...
Southeastern Morris County in northeastern Texas...
Northwestern Panola County in northeastern Texas...
Rusk County in northeastern Texas...
Eastern Smith County in northeastern Texas...
Upshur County in northeastern Texas...

* Until 545 PM CDT.

* At 440 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line from
over Lone Star to over Reese, or along a line from 16 miles
southeast of Pittsburg to 8 miles northwest of Jacksonville, moving
east at 45 mph.

HAZARD...Golf ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail
damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect
wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...
Tyler, Longview, Marshall, Henderson, Kilgore, Whitehouse, White
Oak, Gladewater, Gilmer, Hallsville, Overton, Bullard, Jefferson,
Troup, Tatum, Big Sandy, Ore City, New London and Arp.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Anyone outdoors should move to shelter inside a well-built structure
and stay away from windows. These storms are capable of producing
dangerous hail and damaging winds.

Intense thunderstorm lines can produce brief tornadoes and widespread
significant wind damage. Although a tornado is not immediately
likely, it is best to move to an interior room on the lowest floor of
a building. These storms may cause serious injury and significant
property damage.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 900 PM CDT Sunday for a
portion of northeast Texas.

03/15/2026

The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
Northern Smith County in northeastern Texas...
Southwestern Upshur County in northeastern Texas...
Southern Wood County in northeastern Texas...

* Until 500 PM CDT.

* At 353 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 11 miles southwest of Golden, or 12 miles southwest of Mineola, moving east at 40 mph.

HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...
Mineola, Lindale, Big Sandy, Hawkins, Hoard, Winona and Red Springs.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Seek shelter inside a well-built structure and stay away from windows. This storm is capable of producing damaging winds and large hail.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 900 PM CDT Sunday for a portion of northeast Texas.

03/15/2026

The National Weather Service has issued Tornado Watch 53, effective until 9 PM CDT this evening. Please remain weather aware this afternoon and have a plan in place for severe weather.