April 25, 2016 — WELLS, Texas — Wells Volunteer Fire Department purchased a new small
brush truck with a Compressed Air Foam System thanks to a grant from Texas A&M Forest
Service.
Wells VFD has an 88 square mile service area and 90 percent of their calls are for woodland or
grass fires. This new 2016 Ford F-150 with slip-on unit will allow them to effectively protect life
and property in the community and surrounding area.
“The new truck is replacing a 1985 brush truck,” said Wells VFD fire Chief Robert Kalka. “The
unit has a Compressed Air Foam System with a 300-gallon water tank and 10 gallon foam tank.
It uses compressed air, which will allow the foam to put out fires more efficiently and gives better10-gallon
coverage of the surface area compared to the regular foam system.”
This vehicle has already been put into service and was used to respond to a grass fire.
“This brush truck will help increase Wells VFD’s capacity to respond to emergencies in their
response area and assist their neighboring departments,” said Texas A&M Forest Service
Regional Fire Coordinator Nathan Carroll.
While serving under Texas A&M AgriLife, Texas A&M Forest Service works with fire service
cooperators throughout the state to minimize the loss of life and property in response to wildfires
and other all-hazard emergencies. This year, Texas A&M Forest Service is set to award
approximately $24.3 million in grants to volunteer fire departments for the purchase of
equipment and training.
To learn more about this program, visit http://texasfd.com.