BATTLE CREEK, Mich. –
Fire departments across the country are giving retired military vehicles a new lease on life—on the fireline.
Through a long-running partnership among Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services, the U.S. Forest Service, and state forestry agencies, rural and volunteer fire departments may acquire excess military equipment that they transform into firefighting assets. While most of the gear wasn’t originally intended for fire response, it’s often modified into brush trucks, tankers, command vehicles or storm-response tools.
“This equipment might start as a cargo truck or utility vehicle, but with a little work, it becomes a brush truck, a tanker or even a command unit,” said Ashley McFadden, senior administrative assistant with the South Carolina Forestry Commission’s Forest Protection Unit.
In 2024 alone, 27 states acquired about 61,000 items through the federal surplus property programs. The original acquisition value of that equipment topped $71 million, according to Michael Huneke, national program manager for USFS firefighter property programs.
In South Carolina, the Firefighter Property Program continues to prove its value during wildfires, storms and large-scale emergencies such as Hurricane Helene in September 2024, the Covington Fire in March 2025, and the Table Rock Complex Fire in April of the same year.
“We’ve seen this equipment in action during some of our state’s toughest moments,” McFadden said. “From brush trucks and UTVs to fully outfitted cargo trucks and command posts, this program puts critical tools in the hands of departments that need them.”
One of the most significant acquisitions for the Forestry Commission itself was an Incident Command Post, received from DLA’s property disposal site in Fort Riley, Kansas.
“We use it for all emergency incidents—and beyond that,” McFadden said. “It was also showcased during our 2023 FFP annual workshop with the U.S. Forest Service.”
Across the state, local departments are making the most of their surplus equipment—sometimes transforming retired military trucks into front-line firefighting vehicles.
In Chester County, Chief T. Melton of the Richburg Fire Department said the program has been vital to its ability to serve a growing 50-square-mile district, which includes 14 miles of Interstate 77 and nearly 8,000 residents.
“We’ve received more than 20 pieces of equipment through this program over the years,” Melton said. “With our limited budget, we simply couldn’t afford these assets on our own.”
The department currently operates two Ford F-450s, each converted into four-wheel-drive brush trucks with 300-gallon skid units. They also use a Light Medium Tactical Vehicle for wildfires and flood-prone areas and plan to upgrade it with a larger tank and pump for better water flow.
Melton said two of their most valuable pieces are tanker trucks converted in-house from former military flatbeds. One, originally from a Navy base in Virginia, now hauls 3,000 gallons. Another—built from a Freightliner tank hauler—was customized with a military-style roll-off tank, drip system, deck gun and 600-gallon-per-minute pump.
“That truck has been a game-changer on structure fires and 18-wheeler fires,” Melton said. “You can just pull up behind a burning tractor-trailer and unload 3,000 gallons of water right from the top of the vehicle.”
The department also uses a surplus skid steer to clear roads after major storms. They received a trailer from DLA to haul it.
“We do most of the retrofitting ourselves,” Melton said. “One of our lieutenants, Zach Gibson, is a former diesel mechanic. That’s saved us thousands in labor and downtime.”
In Aiken County, Chief Charles Kneece of the GVW Volunteer Fire Department said the FFP has been equally critical to their operations.
“We’ve got a brush truck we received through the program that’s already been on multiple wildfires this year,” Kneece said. “It’s four-wheel drive, carries a 250-gallon tank and has been outfitted with a skid unit. We wouldn’t have had the budget to buy a truck like that on our own.”
Kneece said the department’s capabilities have significantly improved thanks to the addition. “Before this, we had to make do with whatever we could find. Now, we’re rolling out with reliable equipment that actually fits the job,” he said.
“This program is helping departments overcome budget limitations while improving their ability to respond to wildfires and natural disasters,” McFadden said. “It’s about readiness, response and resilience—and giving our local firefighters the tools they need to protect their communities.”