A slip‑on (also called a skid or slip‑in) tanker is a self‑contained water tank, pump, hose, and basic plumbing mounted on a pallet or “skid” that is designed to drop into the bed of a pickup, flatbed, trailer or attached to small utility vehicles/UTVs. Once installed the host vehicle becomes a small wildland/brush engine capable of carrying water (often 100–1000+ gallons), a pump (gas or PTO), hose reel, and simple hose/foam fittings for initial attack or mop‑up. Manufacturers and state forestry guides show variants sized and plumbed to fit full‑size pickups, trailers, ATV/UTV beds and some utility bodies, with controls and plumbing made to be operated by small volunteer crews.
The DOI Slip‑on Tanker Pilot eligibility is limited to U.S. local governments that provide fire protection or emergency services and serve areas with population ≤50,000 and moderate‑to‑high wildfire risk. DOI guidance and the grants notice clarify “local governments” includes municipal governments and commonly covers county and city fire departments; many state sub‑recipients and program materials say special fire districts, volunteer fire departments, and tribal governments that act as local governments can be eligible if they meet the program’s definitions and application requirements—tribal entities should check the specific grants.gov notice for tribal eligibility language.
The Wildfire Risk to Communities tool combines multiple datasets (fuel, weather/climate, topography, housing and infrastructure, historical fire activity and expected fire behavior) to score community‑scale risk; DOI requires applicants’ service area or area of protection to be rated at least “moderate” by that tool. Applicants must check the tool (the DOI/USGS/USFS Wildfire Risk to Communities map) for their community’s rating and include that in their application.
The Slip‑on Tanker Pilot Program is being administered out of the Department of the Interior’s Office of Wildland Fire (DOI Office of Wildland Fire). DOI’s Office of Wildland Fire (OWF) manages the pilot and its Office of Wildland Fire Awards (or the designated grants office) reviews applications and awards funding per the grants notice and agency procedures.
According to the DOI grants materials, awards range $10,000–$249,000. The program is established under BIL/authorizing language; applicants should read the grants.gov Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for specific cost‑share, match, and purchasing restrictions—many federal grant NOFOs either allow no match or specify any required match and set restrictions on use (e.g., eligible equipment types, procurement rules, Buy American, and federal procurement standards). The DOI press release doesn’t list match requirements, so check the grants.gov NOFO for this round (applications due March 23, 2026).
Awarded grantees typically must comply with federal reporting, property management, and grant terms: progress and financial reports, equipment inventory and retention rules, and federal procurement and audit requirements. DOI/OWF and the NOFO will specify reporting cadence, required maintenance and that equipment be kept ready for local and mutual‑aid response; training expectations (safe operation of pumps, hose deployment, and wildland engine tactics) are commonly required or strongly encouraged and may be part of the grant terms or recommended by DOI. Confirm exact post‑award requirements in the NOFO and award documents.
Local slip‑on tanker grants are intended to strengthen initial local response and to support interagency wildland firefighting; coordination happens through existing mutual‑aid and incident command systems (e.g., local/state mutual aid, National Incident Management System/Incident Command System). DOI’s program states equipment helps local agencies respond quickly and “support interagency wildland firefighting efforts,” so awarded units are expected to operate under local incident commanders and integrate with state and federal resources (and the planned U.S. Wildland Fire Service) through established dispatch, mutual‑aid, and ICS structures. The NOFO and award agreements will include coordination expectations for large incidents.