STEPHENVILLE, Texas –
Selden Volunteer Fire Department members transformed a 2003 Stewart Stevenson truck from the Defense Logistics Agency into a firefighting machine to help protect their community and surrounding area.
The fruit of their labor produced a brush truck with a slip-on unit that has a 2,000-gallon water tank that can be filled from a pond, creek or pool.
The truck was acquired through the Department of Defense Firefighter Property Program, which is a partnership between DLA Disposition Services, which collects excess military equipment, and the U.S. Forest Service that places equipment with firefighters who can use it.
The slip-on unit was purchased with a grant through the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program administered by the Texas A&M Forest Service that oversees Texas’ use of the Defense Department program in that state.
In a news release from the Texas A&M Forest Service, Selden Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Shad Parum said, “The primary mission of the truck will be for wildland firefighting, but it can function as a tanker since it holds a large quantity of water.”
“The area is pretty rocky and has a lot of cedar so some of the areas are difficult to get to, but this truck will be ideal for getting into the toughest areas,” Parum said. “We don’t have much flooding here, but it could also be used for high-water rescue if needed.”
“One of the stipulations for receiving this truck was to paint it a nonmilitary color, so our volunteers painted it themselves and plumbed it -- making it ready for response as a dual purpose apparatus.”
Texas A&M Forest Service is committed to protecting lives and property through various fire department assistance programs. Since 2005, the FPP staff has released over 600 retired military trucks to volunteer fire departments across Texas.