Altona/Rhineland Emergency Services (ARES) has a new piece of equipment and it'll help crews fight grass fires.
The department was gifted a fire skid by Global Medical, a non-profit agency based in Alberta, earlier this summer. It's one of 32 donated to fire departments across Manitoba to help in the fight against the wildfires.
As Fire Chief Greg Zimmerman explained, it's a 250 gallon tank equipped with a small pump and a hose reel that fits in the back of a pick up truck.
"Basically, a skid unit is used when a wildfire encroaches on a community. They use the units to patrol around town and catch the burning embers that are flying in."
In ARES' case, Zimmerman says the skid will come in handy to snuff out grass fires that are more common in the area.
"Because it's in a pick up, it enables us to get into a field a lot easier than the big fire trucks," he noted.
The department has already put the skid unit to work - bringing it up to Thompson with a crew to help when wildfire was moving in on the city.