BATTLE CREEK, Mich. –
Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services has no field office in Montana, but thanks to the Defense Department Firefighter Property Program, any interested state can benefit from excess equipment by putting military equipment turned over to DLA as excess directly into the hands of firefighters.
FPP allows the U.S. Forest Service to transfer unneeded DOD items directly from DLA and make them available to state agencies and rural fire departments. In Montana, the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation oversees the state’s usage of FPP.
“We received over 60 million dollars of equipment from this program, and it’s put to good use,” said Montana DNRC Fire Equipment Program Specialist Rose Kirschenheiter, noting that the state began using FPP in 2007. “Fire departments are operating all-volunteer, they have no budget, and to be able to receive equipment for the cost of going to a base and picking it up, its hard to put it into words how much they appreciate that.”
One of the fire departments that has taken advantage of FPP is the Polson Rural Fire District in northwest Montana. Polson Fire Chief Gordon Gieser and his 34 volunteer firefighters have three former military trucks they converted into firefighting vehicles used to protect the 200-square-mile district.
“Two of them are tactical water tenders,” Gieser said. “A tactical water tender has fire attack capabilities instead of just supplying water to already pumping apparatus.”
He explained that to be considered tactical it must be able to pump water, have a 2000-gallon or larger water tank and the off-road mobility to fight wildfires. When his department received each of the vehicles, firefighters all pitched in to strip the trucks down and rebuild them, converting them from a military configuration to become fully operational fire trucks. Gieser said the department used them extensively last year. His team was able to save and estimated 14 homes thanks to the excess property transfer. This year, while wildfire season is still raging, he estimates the total of houses saved at six so far. Gieser said that by using FPP and only paying for vehicle transportation and the conversion process, his team has essentially received three units for the price of one.
“Polson Rural appreciates [FPP],” Gieser said. “It’s been highly beneficial.”