The Village of Questa will receive $375,000 for a new wildland fire truck, funding secured by U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich as part of a $207 million appropriations package for New Mexico. The announcement comes just days after Congress approved a deal to reopen the federal government, ending a 43-day shutdown.

Questa officials said the village applied for the funding earlier this year. Mayor John Ortega thanked both village staff and Heinrich for delivering a crucial piece of equipment for a community surrounded by public lands.

“Thank you to our staff for your hard work in applying for this money,” Ortega said. “Thank you Senator Martin Heinrich for knowing that we live in an area surrounded by wilderness and a national monument, and thank you for helping the Village of Questa and Questa Fire Department with an important tool to protect our beautiful community and our beautiful mountains. We definitely appreciate it.”

The new wildland fire truck is expected to boost Questa’s ability to respond swiftly to fires in brush and rural areas — a growing concern amid hotter temperatures, persistent drought, reduced snowpack and increasingly severe wildfire seasons throughout the West.

Heinrich, a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, highlighted the broader package’s benefits for New Mexico, which includes investments in housing, nutrition programs, veterans’ services and military infrastructure.
“I’ve spent months fighting to secure funding for critical investments in New Mexico, and they are now signed into law,” Heinrich said in a statement. “From housing and nutrition programs that support working families, to resources for our veterans and investments in military infrastructure that strengthen our national security — these investments reflect our values.”

Questa officials said the fire truck funding could not have come at a more important time, as communities statewide brace for another potentially dangerous fire season.