WICHITA FALLS, Texas –– Established in 2006, Friberg-Cooper Volunteer Fire Department has
been working to improve its capacity to fight fires by attaining up-to-date equipment.
Converting a military truck received from the DoD Firefighter Property Program helped them do
just that.
The program, administered by Texas A&M Forest Service and managed nationally by USDA
Forest Service, provides excess military equipment to fire departments and emergency service
providers.
“This military truck can maneuver the creeks and canyons and get to areas that other trucks
cannot get to,” Fire Chief William Norris said. “It gives us a greater ability to fight fires in those
areas.”
Recipients of this excess property are required to convert the vehicle into a service-ready unit
within 180 days of acquisition.
“We did all of the conversion work ourselves,” Norris said. “The vehicle had to be painted, and we
also added a pump, moved the exhaust, ran plumbing, wiring, lights and connected the siren. We
also added side panels.”
The relatively new fire department has 20 active volunteers and is directly responsible for serving
about 23 square miles of territory and 800 people, however, they also offer mutual aid to several
other departments.
Launched in Texas in 2005, DoD FFP has released over 300 retired military trucks to VFDs across the
state to help them better protect lives and property.
“This program is a great asset to the small volunteer fire departments,” Norris said. “It brought us a
sound truck that can cover difficult terrain and give us a greater advantage when fighting fires.”
To learn more about this program, visit http://texasfd.com.