April 14, 2016 — DUMAS, Texas — With a new coat of paint and some feature conversions by the City
Dumas Fire Department has repurposed a tanker military truck into a new fire response vehicle.
The City of Dumas FD received the military cargo truck through the Department of Defense Firefighter
Property Program, which puts retired military vehicles into the hands of volunteer fire departments. The 1986
Oshkosh M978 military tanker truck was stripped of its camouflage paint and fuel pumping system and outfitted
with fire equipment, including new piping and dump valves.
“We have an 18-wheel truck that we use as our water supply, but it is hard to get off the road to wildland fires,”
explained Chief Paul Jenkins of the City of Dumas VFD. “Since this truck is a lot smaller, it will be used to
shuttle water to the attack vehicles for grass and wildland fires.”
The truck has a four-wheel drive, power steering, and an automatic transmission. It is expected to bring better
safety and efficiency to the department as a multi-purpose unit.
“It has a 2500-gallon tank making it a useful water source for wildland fires and structure fires,” said Chief
Jenkins.
Launched in Texas in 2005, the U.S. Forest Service and Texas A&M Forest Service administer the no-cost
program that transfers the military property.
Texas A&M Forest Service picks up the vehicles from military bases around the country, and their in-house
mechanics inspect the vehicles for any major issues. Once the department obtains the title to the vehicle, it is
theirs, and they must use local funds to convert it for firefighting use and maintenance. Fundraising and
donations are important to helping the departments make these changes and repairs.
For more information on this and other fire department assistance programs offered by Texas A&M Forest
Service, visit http://texasfd.com.