Over the summer, LH Today published a series of articles focused on the Dallas Fire & Rescue (DFR) stations here in Lake Highlands.

Covering their tactical operations and training exercises was an awe-inspiring, educational experience. You can read about some of that training here.

Learning that city wide budget cuts leave no room for the stations to receive funds to cover day-to-day necessities and repairs provided an education of a different sort.

You can read the original article detailing these DFR needs here.

So when the residents of the Lake Highlands Estates Neighborhood Association (LHENA) got a hold of this information, they went right to work.

"As a result of recent neighborhood publicity regarding the needs of Lake Highlands Fire & Rescue Station #57, located at Audelia and Skillman, our board of directors voted to donate $500 to replace the station’s 30-year-old pots and pans with a brand new set," explains LHENA Crime Watch and Fire-Rescue chairman, Craig Wheeler.

"I read the LH Today article about Highland Meadows adopting Station #48, and I emailed it to our board members for discussion at our next meeting," adds Jo Baggett, LHENA President.

"The Board discussed and approved adoption of Station #57, and Craig took it from there," she says.

"He has done a terrific job of working with Station #57 and getting our adoption of the station up and running."

There have been some recent changes to the DFR Adopt-a-Station program. DFR citizen employee Leanne Siri, who created and developed the adoption program, is no longer coordinating the program.

But that didn't stop the volunteers from LHENA. They simply contacted Station #57 and coordinated directly with the firefighters about their needs.

Wheeler recently enjoyed a breakfast meeting with all DFR personnel down at the station. "I was able to be there with Colby Jones, our group's treasurer, to present them the check," says Wheeler.

"You can tell by the pictures we took just how old those original pots and pans were," he says. "All the Fire-Rescue personnel involved were very grateful and appreciative to LHENA for the $500 to replace them."

The Lake Highlands Estates Neighborhood Association has also recently coordinated with DFR Lieutenant Shannon Hopps of the Inspection & Life Safety Education Division and Lieutenant Danny Campbell from Station #57 to help LHENA develop a Fire Safety page on their website, which can be found at http://www.lhena.org.

This Fire Safety page portrays 14 important tips on how to protect your Lake Highlands home from fire, so it's definitely worth a read!

Our thanks to Jo Baggett and Craig Wheeler for sharing the LHENA story with us.

LH Today is excited to know that our Dallas Fire & Rescue articles helped play a small part in bringing these great LH groups together.

For more information on the DFR Adopt-a-Station program, readers can visit http://www.dallasfirerescue.com/adopt/adopt.htm.

Lead photo: LHENA Treasurer Colby Jones presents the $500 check to D.D. Pierce, Driver/Engineer at Station #57 and President of the 1,300 member Dallas Fire Fighters Association.

Photo (below right) L to R: Lieutenant Danny Campbell, Captain Todd Wilson, James Cole, John Sullivan, Eric Jones, Jon Kirby, and Ryan Hogue show off their new pots and pans.