Wildfire fleet upgrades with surplus
 By Jeff Landenberger
  Trucks used to fight wildfires by the Woodson Volunteer Fire Department in Texas averaged more than 40 years old. When it was time for an upgrade, the department looked to DOD’s Firefighter Property Program and Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services. The Woodson Volunteer Fire Department shows off the makeover they gave a former military truck they acquired through the DOD Firefighter Property Program. The former military truck is now equipped to fight fires, including a custom made 2000 gallon water tank.




A former military supply truck sits on a patch of dry dirt patch with scrubby small trees and other brush in the background. The cab of the truck is now yellow and the back of the truck is dominated by a white water tank.
        Makeover
            The Woodson Volunteer Fire Department shows off the makeover they gave a former military truck they acquired through the DOD Firefighter Property Program. The former military truck is now equipped to fight fires, including a custom made 2000 gallon water tank.

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                    Photo By: Woodson Volunteer Fire Departmen
                    
                    VIRIN: 230214-D-D0441-014 The DoD FPP is a partnership between three entities. DLA Disposition Services compiles the excess military equipment, the U.S. Forest Service makes the equipment available to state governments and then the individual state’s forest service issues the equipment to rural fire departments. Cody Gilmore, fleet coordinator for the Woodson Volunteer Fire Department, said his department had been using former military trucks as brush trucks since the early 1980s and is known in the area for using them. “We have pretty heavy brush and rugged territory,” Gilmore said. For fans of the television show “Yellowstone,” he said some of the outdoor scenes are filmed nearby. The department is responsible for 400 square miles including ranches, a community and oil fields. The truck they acquired for their fleet is a 2004 Stewart & Stevenson. “We felt really blessed with it because it only had 1,500 miles, so it was like new,” Gilmore said. “Our newest truck is over 30 years old, so this was really an upgrade for us.” “We are a community of 300 people, most of our community is made up of retirees,” Gilmore said. He calculated that the acquisition cost of a new piece of equipment like this would be in excess of a quarter million dollars. Getting the truck through the program was just the first step. When the truck arrived it still looked like a military cargo truck. The firefighters would have to give it a makeover, turning it into the firefighting apparatus they needed. “Normally we all kind of get together and build it,” Gilmore said. But this time one member of their team had the time to tackle the project and worked it till completion. They were able to acquire most of what they needed including an upgraded pump, but when it came to the water tank they wanted more, Gilmore said. They reached out to a local person who fabricates equipment for the oil industry. He created a custom 2000-gallon tank for the new truck. “We are out here in the big empty”, Gilmore said. “Access to water is huge here, it’s always a big issue.” The rig they created will allow them to bring water not only to fires their department is assigned to, but also when called upon to assist neighboring communities, he added.