Covington Volunteer Fire Department recently received an excess military vehicle from the Department of Defense Firefighter Property Program and a $20,000 grant for a slip-on unit through the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program; both programs are administered by Texas A& M Forest Service.
Covington volunteers converted the two-and-a-half-ton military truck into a service-ready firefighting apparatus in less than 180 days.
“This vehicle is a very rugged and has great off-road capability. It will allow us to get across the rougher terrain, cross creeks and river beds and get out there to those isolated fires with a larger amount of water for the initial attack,” said Covington VFD Chief Kevin Karlicek. “We will use the truck for wildland fires, structure fires, high water rescues and to shuttle water to structure fires in our community and when we mutual aid in the surrounding area.”
A slip-on unit is designed as a fast initial-attack firefighting unit, durable and highly mobile. It is used in wildland firefighting, as well as structure and auto fires, and is a complete self-contained firefighting apparatus designed for a pickup truck or custom-built vehicle platform.
“The new 100 percent, up to $20,000 grant that Texas A&M Forest Service is offering for the slip-on unit to go on the DoD vehicles is a great option for VFDs,” said Karlicek. “Receiving this grant has allowed our department to have an updated system that has a 1,000-gallon water tank and a 10-gallon foam cell, and it was completely free of charge for our community.”
Texas A&M Forest Service is committed to protecting lives and property through its various fire department assistance programs. For more information on programs offered by Texas A&M Forest Service, please visit http://texasfd.com.