The Lowe Farm Fire Department will have a new skid unit within a month's time.

The custom built unit comes from a fire protection equipment supplier in Carman. It features a 250-gallon water tank, a 195 GPM water pump, and a Scotty Foam System.

Trevor Dackow, Fire Chief and Building Inspector for the RM of Morris, said a skid unit is a combination water tank, pump, and firefighting foam unit that fits in the back of a utility truck.

"Some time ago, a utility truck was purchased for Lowe Farm, and this is just following up on that, completing its equipment, to make it more useful for the fire department to serve the citizens," said Dackow.

He adds the unit can put out class A and B fires.

"It gives the firefighters an onboard water supply that can be pressurized using the pump, and the foam inductor enables them to... suppress various kinds of fires more quickly."

Currently, the truck is being used to transport personnel and equipment, but the skid unit will give it firefighting capability.

"This gives the Lowe Farm Department what's called a Rapid Response Vehicle," said Dackow. "It can be deployed by 2-3 men, it generally lets them respond to a situation such as a motor vehicle collision a little bit quicker."

The cost of this equipment was approximately $12,500, and the money was already in place.

"The money was never used because the opportunity to purchase a unit like this at a good price didn't present itself until very recently. Also, donations from the community are being used to top up the money we've already allocated."