SKELLYTOWN, Texas –– Skellytown Volunteer Fire Department now has a new slip-on unit
thanks to an $18,000 grant administered by Texas A&M Forest Service.
“It is very rough country around here,” Fire Chief Vance Griffith said. “We are a very small
department with very little funds, and the unit we had was getting old.”
The VFD serves approximately 1,500 square miles with 22 volunteers.
“Fire protection is very important in this region,” Griffith said. “We not only service the
community, but we also have two small plants that we are first call on. We have also assisted a
lot of different areas like Dalhart, Dumas, Amarillo and Oklahoma.”
The new slip-on holds more water and comes equipped with a foam system. For Skellytown,
the grant came at just the right time.
“A few months ago we were fighting a fire and our unit broke,” Griffith said. “We helped fight
that fire for five to six days, around the clock for the first three days. Right after the unit broke,
we received a notice from TFS that we were approved for the grant for the new slip-on unit.”
Over 85% of fire departments in the state of Texas are either completely or mostly operated by
volunteers. TFS passes approximately $12.8 million along to volunteer fire departments across the
state every year, helping them purchase equipment to better protect lives and property.
“Most VFDs don’t have the funds to keep their equipment in top shape or to buy new equipment,”
Griffith said. “Without the TFS grant program, we would not have been able to replace that tank. It
was a lifesaver.”
To learn more about this program, visit http://texasfd.com.