Ex-Military Rig Gets New Life as Texas Fire Apparatus

SAVOY — By adding a new coat of paint and equipping it with some new features, the Savoy Volunteer Fire Department recently repurposed a five-ton military truck into a firefighting vehicle.

Through the Department of Defense Firefighter Property Program, which sends retired military vehicles into the hands of volunteer fire departments in Texas, Savoy received a military cargo truck that has been transformed into a firefighting vehicle. The five-ton 1991 BMY military cargo truck was stripped of its army green paint and outfitted with a water tank, emergency lights and a fresh coat of bright fire engine red paint.

“Part of the conversion process for this military vehicle was painting it,” Chief Billy Burks of the Savoy Volunteer Fire Department Fire said in a news release. “We painted it red, then added a water tank, pump and emergency lights.”

The U.S. Forest Service and the Texas A&M Forest Service administer the program that transfers the military property. Courtney Wigley, Texas A&M Forrest Service program specialist, said the program launched in 2005 and has released more than 400 vehicles to volunteer fire departments across the state.

“We acquire property from the military that they’re no longer needing, and then we turn around and make sure the property is in usable condition,” Wigley said. “We then assign it to volunteer fire departments and they turn it into firefighting property.”

The Forest Service delivers the vehicles to the fire departments at no cost to the departments for the vehicle or the delivery. Wigley said they pick up the vehicles from military bases and their in-house mechanic inspects the vehicle for any major issues. The fire departments receive the vehicles based on a rating system the service uses that examines how long the department has been in existence, the number of volunteers the department has, the size of the department’s protection area, the population of that area and the distance to the nearest mutual aid department.

Once the department obtains the title to the vehicle, the vehicle is theirs, Wigley said, but there are stipulations. The vehicle must be painted a nonmilitary color, it must be insured and departments are responsible for any costs associated with repairing and maintaining the vehicle and converting it for firefighting use.

“If it needs any modifications to meet whatever function its going to be doing — they’ll have to rig the truck up for that,” Wigley said. “They’ll have to make all the adjustments.”

Savoy will use the truck for fighting wild and grass fires.

“This truck is taking the place of an older vehicle that did not run as well,” Burks said. “This newly converted truck holds more water, has a more efficient pump and has power steering that will be beneficial on rough terrain.”

Wigley said the program is available for volunteer fire departments across Texas, and more information about the program is available from the Texas A&M Forest Service.

“If any department is in need, they can just give us call, and we’ll try to assist them in getting a vehicle,” Wigley said.

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