CROWELL, Texas ––Crowell Volunteer Fire Department was awarded an $18,000 grant for a slip-on
unit through TFS’s Rural VFD Assistance Program.
“The slip-on unit provides us the ability to better suppress fires,” Fire Chief Perry Shaw said.
After receiving the unit, the department bought a new truck to accommodate it.
“Serving a rural area, the unit combined with the 6-wheel drive truck allows us the ability to pilot our
area’s rough terrain with greater ease,” Shaw said.
The new truck and slip on unit replaced a 1968 model truck.
“The new combination grants us improved response time, increases our water carrying capacity by slip-on
nearly 300 gallons, and is more reliable and user friendly,” Shaw said.
Covering 740 square miles and serving 1,200 people, every advancement allows Crowell to enhance
their potential to safeguard the community they serve.
Over 85 percent of fire departments in Texas are either completely or mostly operated by
volunteers. Texas A&M Forest Service passes approximately $12.8 million along to volunteer fire
departments across the state each year, helping them purchase equipment to better protect lives and
property.
“The Rural VFD Assistance Program is great,” Shaw said. “We’ve been utilizing it for years and regard
it as one of the best programs available to VFDs in need.”
To learn more about this program, visit http://texasfd.com.