Brookesmith Volunteer Fire Department recently received a five-ton Bowen-McLaughlin-York military cargo truck from Texas A&M Forest Service as part of the Department of Defense Firefighter Property Program.

“When we received this military vehicle, part of the requirement was to paint it a different color. We also added a couple of water tanks donated to us from Early Fire Department,” Chief Willie Boenicke of the Brookesmith VFD said.

The truck will be used as a heavy brush truck and will follow the department’s first-out, fast-attack vehicle when a call comes in.

“Our area is rural and we get a lot of grass fires caused by a variety of events like lightning strikes or farming equipment. When we are responding to a call out in a back pasture, being able to carry a lot of water is important,” explained Boenicke.

The five-ton increased the department’s portable water supply by six fold.

Brookesmith VFD, established in 1980, has 14 volunteers that serve approximately 2,500 people over 198 square miles of Brown County.

The DoD Firefighter Property Program, overseen by the USDA Forest Service, provides excess military equipment to fire departments and emergency service providers. Launched in Texas in 2005, this program has released over 400 retired military trucks to VFDs across the state to help them better protect lives and property. Texas A&M Forest Service transports the vehicle from a military installation, performs necessary repairs and delivers it to the volunteer fire department at no cost to them.

To learn more about this and other fire department assistance programs offered by Texas A&M Forest Service, visit