GRAHAM, Texas –– Possum Kingdom Westside Volunteer Fire Department now has a converted
military truck to use for on- and off-road firefighting, allowing them to retire an old 1983 model
engine.
The VFD received the military truck through the DoD Firefighter Property Program, managed
nationally by the USDA Forest Service and administered by Texas A&M Forest Service.
“Our old truck was bigger, but it was not dependable mechanically and didn’t have much speed,”
Fire Chief Jack Rymer said. “As remote as our area is, we needed something to go off-road, and our
old truck was strictly a hard pavement vehicle.”
Recipients of this excess property are required to convert the vehicle into a service-ready unit
within 180 days of acquisition.
“We had the truck painted by Zephyr outside of Brownwood, then we added the electrical, lighting,
pump, hose, reel and decals,” Rymer said. “Being a multi-drive vehicle, we can now get to terrain
that we weren’t able to get to before. It runs well and is dependable.”
Since the implementation of the DoD FFP Program 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.
“This program is the best thing that could happen to a volunteer-type service or fire operation
because we have very limited funds,” Rymer said. “We have to depend on county funding,
donations, and fundraising. Programs like this are what keep us going.”
To learn more about this program, visit http://texasfd.com.