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News | Feb. 24, 2023

Custom apparatus ready to respond to fires and floods in Texas

By Jeff Landenberger DLA Disposition Services

A military cargo truck declared excess now serves Texas’ Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire as a multi-purpose response vehicle thanks to the DOD Firefighter Property Program and Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services.

A former military cargo truck painted red sits outside a tan building. The truck has no military markings but does have a water tank on its bed used to take water to fires.
A former military cargo truck that was turned into to DLA Disposition Services is now a multi-purpose response vehicle with the Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire Department in Texas.
A former military cargo truck painted red sits outside a tan building. The truck has no military markings but does have a water tank on its bed used to take water to fires.
Truck
A former military cargo truck that was turned into to DLA Disposition Services is now a multi-purpose response vehicle with the Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire Department in Texas.
Photo By: Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire
VIRIN: 230223-D-YU183-007
The DOD FPP has cross-government benefits. Property transfer from DOD to federal recipients helps DLA Disposition Services find new uses for excess military equipment. It helps the U.S. Forest Service manage fire activity across the country by making the equipment available to state governments. State agencies benefit their local populations by issuing gear to rural fire departments to protect districts and counties.

Pecan Grove FD Assistant Chief Billy Hoft said when his department received the truck, the crew immediately began customizing it for their needs. He explained how the truck will serve in a variety of ways.

“We have a need for a high-water vehicle, as our aera is prone to flooding during hurricane season,” Hoft said. The department purchased a canvas top to cover the truck’s bed and create shelter for first responders and people they are transporting to safety during inclement weather. Then, during wildfire season, Hoft said the team would fit it with a water tank and use the truck to fight wildland blazes.  

Pecan Grove FD covers the densely populated community of Richmond, Hoft said, with additional responsibility for grassland and farms that edge the district.

“I believe it will have a huge impact on us, both from a rescue standpoint and a wildland firefighting standpoint,” Hoft said. “It will also positively impact the mutual aid districts we work with.”

Hoft said DOD FPP works great for volunteer departments that can’t afford expensive apparatus. He called it a vital source for departments like his to customize equipment to fit their needs and provide them the tools needed to protect their communities.