WELLS, Texas — A $17,300 grant administered by Texas A&M Forest Service helped Wells Volunteer
Fire Department update one of its trucks with a new slip-on unit.
“We had an older skid unit on an ‘86 model truck that was donated by a member of the community,” Fire
Chief Robert Kalka said. “We were able to put the new slip-on unit on one of our new 2013 trucks.”
According to Kalka, most of the calls the VFD responds to are woodland or grass fires, and the truck
alone was not sufficient for taking on these fires.
“The pumping capacity of the new skid unit is phenomenal,” Kalka said. “It out-pumps everything we were
working with before.”
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.
“If we didn’t have this program, it would take years for us to save the money it would take to get this kind
of equipment,” Kalka said. “It’s a lifesaver.”
To learn more about this program, visit http://texasfd.com.