MCGREGOR, Texas – Texas A&M Forest Service awarded McGregor Volunteer Fire Department an excess
military truck through the Department of Defense Firefighter Property Program. The truck will help increase the department’s firefighting capacity and will be a dual-purpose apparatus serving wildland firefighting and high-water rescues.
Accompanying the truck, McGregor VFD also received a $20,000 grant through the Texas A&M Forest Service
Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program to help with the conversion.
“One of the stipulations for receiving this truck was to paint it a nonmilitary color, so our volunteers painted it
themselves making it ready for response,” said McGregor Volunteer Fire Department President Van Smith.
“The primary mission of the truck will be for wildland firefighting with its 1,000-gallon water tank and bumpers sweeps but it can function as a rescue apparatus for high water rescues since we occasionally have to rescue people from flooded roads.”
The excess military truck program is a benefit to many volunteer fire departments in Texas.
“The Firefighter Property Program issues excess military vehicles at no cost to the VFDs, said Texas A&M
Forest Service Regional Fire Coordinator Matthew Schlaefer. “The departments convert the trucks to bolster
their firefighting power, increasing their capacity to save lives and property in their community and surrounding area.
A large portion of fire service in Texas is filled by volunteers and supported by their communities.
Anyone in the McGregor Volunteer Fire Department area that would like to volunteer their time may call (254) 379-0569 or (254) 447-9053 to request an application.
“We would like to express our gratitude to the community for their continued support and to Texas A&M Forest Service for the grant programs that they offer that help volunteer fire departments with equipment and training which enables them to better serve their communities,” said Smith.
The Department of Defense Firefighter Property Program was launched in Texas in 2005 as a program to help increase the capacity of Texas volunteer fire departments. The Texas A&M Forest Service excess military
equipment program is sponsored by the USDA Forest Service which also oversees the national program. The
Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program funded by the Texas State Legislature currently provides 100 percent funding up to $20,000 for the acquisition of slip-on units that are to be installed onto excess military vehicles helping in their conversion into firefighting apparatus.
For more information on programs offered by Texas A&M Forest Service, please visit http://texasfd.com.