MATADOR, Texas –– An excess military vehicle will now service the Matador/Motley County Volunteer
Fire Department emergency service district. The truck was passed along to the VFD through the Do
Firefighter Property Program administered by Texas A&M Forest Service.
Recipients of this excess military property are required to convert the vehicle into a service-ready unit within
180 days of acquisition.
“We put about $18,000 into updating the truck, so this was much more cost-efficient for us than purchasing
an entirely new truck would have been,” Assistant Fire Chief Lee Jones said. “It will allow us to get more
equipment to the fire faster, so hopefully we can contain the fire better.”
The VFD services about 900 square miles along with offering mutual aid to adjoining counties.
“We have a lot of rough terrain and brush areas,” Lee said. “Grass fires spread pretty fast here, so it is
important to get to the scene quickly and contain the fire efficiently. This 5-ton type-3 engine helps us do just
that.”
The DoD Firefighter Property Program provides excess military equipment to fire departments and
emergency service providers. Since its founding in 2005, this program has released over 300 retired military
trucks to VFDs across the state to help them better protect lives and property.
“This program saves departments like ours because we don’t have the funds to purchase a brand new truck,”
Lee said.
To learn more about this program, visit http://texasfd.com.