Brazos Canyon Volunteer Fire Department

Emergency – Dial 911

Non-Emergency (575) 588-0014

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Brazos Canyon Volunteer Fire Department

Emergency – Dial 911

Brazos Canyon Fire District

  • Rugged forested mountainous and remote terrain with structures in areas.
  • Bordered on the south by almost eight miles of the Brazos River.
  • United States Highway 84, both East and West sides of the highway  to Jicarilla Apache land. 
  • North and even beyond C.R. 343, Rio Chama Estates (C.R. 343) 
  • East by the foothills of the San Juan Mountain Range.
  • The Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating for the department is 6/6X
  • BCVFD is a FireWise USA® and Fire Mitigation Community and active in community involvement in educating the District’s landowners on mitigation—defensible space strategies. 
  • New Mexico State Forestry Department (NMSFD) identified Brazos Canyon within the fire district as one of the top communities in the state most at risk from catastrophic wildfire.

About Us

Brazos Canyon Volunteer Fire Department consists of approximately 16 active firefighters and 5 auxiliary members, all of which are volunteer unpaid positions in Rio Arriba County (RAC).  The Fire Chief of the department is Catherine Praiswater and the assistant chief is Jake Collison, Brian Gallagher serves as Secretary and Mike Valdez is the Treasurer. 

Most active firefighters put in approximately fifty-five to over one-hundred hours each year.  The Chief of the department follows a set of RAC Bylaws for governance of the minimum participation allowed by the state in order to be in good standing.

The department wishes to thank all of you who have donated time and money to BCVFD and wildfire mitigation around your home.

Our Fleet

  • Engine 1: pumper, holds 1,026 gallons, and has foam capability.
  • Engine 2: pumper, holds 1,000 gallons, and carries extrication equipment.
  • Tender: water tanker, holds 3,000 gallons.  This type truck is useful in areas where little or no water is available within close proximity of a fire.
  • Brush Truck 1: Fast attack brush truck, holds about 450 gallons, four-wheel drive.
  • Brush Truck 2: Fast attack brush truck, holds 509 gallons, four-wheel drive
  • Two 6-wheel drive Polaris UTVs with firefighting (95 gallons/5 gallons foam).
  • Command Vehicle: 2002 Ford Excursion, four-wheel drive.

Firewise USA® and Fire Mitigation

Brazos Canyon Volunteer Fire Department is active in community involvement in educating the District’s landowners on mitigation—defensible space strategies.  The department was a recipient of two large grants for wildfire risk mitigation.  The first was a Wildland Urban Interface grant with the New Mexico State Forestry Department (NMSFD).  The NMSFD identified Brazos Canyon as one of the top communities in the state most at risk from catastrophic wildfire.  The second grant comes from meeting all of the requirements of developing a FireWise community or program.  This FireWise USA® program is co-sponsored by the USDA Forest Service, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the National Association of State Foresters.

Learn More about Brazos Firewise Activities

FAQ

Brazos Canyon Volunteer Fire Department is recruiting new
members.  Please join the department and serve our community in the capacity of firefighter, or limited duty firefighter.  Please contact
a BCVFD member or call (575) 588-0014 or click this link for more information and to apply.

If you would like to volunteer in the department but you do not want to be a firefighter then think about joining as an auxiliary member.  The auxiliary members are community landowners who make delicious foods and desserts and assist with the department’s fundraisers and social events.  Please call or email Lt. Sanchez-Praiswater for more information on the BCVFD’s Auxiliary.

  • Pond water in the UBPOA area and ponds on private ranches.
  • Green tank:  56,000 gallons
  • Gallery tank:  36,000 gallons
  • Underground storage tanks along 512:  30,000 gallons
  • Stored tanks in the Ponderosa:  45,000 gallons plus
  • (Pending) Another set of Ponderosa tanks once filled will hold approximately 42,000 gallons. Those tanks we are working on filling and should be filled by mid-June, 2026. 

The Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating for the department is 6/6X.  This rating is granted after a thorough inspection by the State Fire Marshal and is determined by the department’s firefighting capabilities (active members, apparatuses, equipment, water sources and availability, training, etc.).  The BCVFD has two designated main stations: one located in the Brazos Canyon, and the other in the Ponderosa area.  The primary funding for the department comes from the State Fire Marshal’s Office and is based on the number of main stations and the overall equipment in the stations.

News and Updates from the Brazos Canyon VFD

HC75 Box 92, Chama, NM 87520

Emergency – Dial 911

Non-Emergency – 575-588-0014 

E-mail – BrazosVFD@rio-arriba.org

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