LONE OAK, Texas — Lone Oak Texas Fire Department recently converted a 5-ton military
vehicle into a large brush truck. The truck will give the department the capacity to attack
wildland fires with a 1,200-gallon water source and be a versatile apparatus when responding to
structure fires.
“This truck gives us the capability to fight fires for a longer period of time without having to
return to a water source to refill our other trucks,” said Robert Whitehead, Lone Oak Texas Fire
Department fire chief. “We will also be using it to shuttle water to structure fires.”
The military vehicle can travel over different types of terrain, meeting the challenge of rain
soaked fields and ranchland.
“All of the recent rain made the pastureland very muddy,” Whitehead said. “We have been able
to get out to the fires without getting bogged down in the mud.”
Recipients of excess military property are required to paint the vehicle a nonmilitary color and
convert it into a service-ready unit within 180 days of acquisition.
The DoD Firefighter Property Program provides excess military equipment to fire departments
and emergency service providers. Launched in Texas in 2005, this program has been released over
300 retired military trucks to VFDs across the state to help them better protect lives and property.
The USDA Forest Service oversees the program, directed by the Texas A&M Forest Service.
To learn more about this program visit http://texasfd.com.