SUNSET, Texas –– Sunset Volunteer Fire Department recently received a retired military truck
from Texas A&M Forest Service as part of the DoD Firefighter Property Program,
“The truck will be substituting for another vehicle that is not as capable of getting to certain
areas as the new one,” Fire Chief Biff Huddelston said.
Weighing in at 5 tons and having large wheels, the truck is capable of high water rescues and
carrying large amounts of water.
“To get the truck converted into a firefighting vehicle for our department, we had to clean it,
paint it with nonmilitary colors, and add a new pump,” Huddelston said.
Recipients of this excess property are required to convert the vehicle into a service-ready unit
within 180 days of acquisition.
“We service about a quarter of the county,” Huddelston said. Adding a vehicle to the fleet that can
service that area in new ways helps provide firefighters with new methods of defending their
community against threats.
The DoD Firefighter Property Program provides excess military equipment to fire departments and
emergency service providers. Launched in Texas in 2005, this program has released over 300 retired
military trucks to VFDs across the state to help them better protect lives and property and is
managed nationally by the USDA Forest Service.
“TFS’s programs, like the DoD Firefighter Property Program, are a good thing for VFDs,” said
Huddleston.
To learn more about this program, visit http://texasfd.com.