December 12, 2016 — NEW ULM, Texas — Frelsburg Volunteer Fire Department recently received a
$20,000 grant through Texas A&M Forest Service’s Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program.
The grant helped to purchase a slip-on unit to accompany a new Ford F-550 chassis purchased through
fundraising efforts.
A slip-on unit is designed to become a fast initial-attack firefighting unit, durable and highly mobile. It is used
in wildland firefighting as well as structure and auto fires. This unit is a complete self-contained firefighting
apparatus designed to fit on a pickup truck or custom-built vehicle platform.
The slip-on has a 350-gallon water tank and a 10-gallon foam tank and will be used mainly for wildland fires.
“Having the foam capability will be a great benefit because the more water you have, the better,” said
Frelsburg VFD President Butch Besch. “The foam makes the water wetter and knocks the fire down quicker.
When you spray water on a fire, it doesn’t soak in like it does when the foam is added. It also helps to keep the
fire from possibly rekindling.”
Frelsburg VFD serves approximately 2,400 people over 80 square miles of Colorado County and has open
enrollment for volunteers.
Texas A&M Forest Service is committed to protecting lives and property through the Rural Volunteer Fire
Department Assistance Program, a cost-share program funded by the Texas State Legislature and administered
by Texas A&M Forest Service. This program provides funding to rural VFDs for the acquisition of firefighting
vehicles, fire and rescue equipment, protective clothing, dry hydrants, computer systems, and firefighter
training.
For more information on programs offered by Texas A&M Forest Service, please visit http://texasfd.com.