To date, forest rangers at the Moonlight station outside Scotland Neck have acquired military equipment for several volunteer fire departments through an assistance program , Halifax County Ranger Jim Short said. “It doesn't cost them anything. We can get a lot of things like five-ton trucks. It's military surplus but some of it is like brand new.”

Local fire departments have benefitted from donations of large generators and light plants, Short said. In total, between $200,000 to $250,000 worth of equipment has been acquired through the program.

(A PDF brochure on the surplus program and other services the forest service offers may be found at this link)

There is a request form volunteer fire departments must fill out to obtain equipment, said Chad Brandon, district ranger. That form can be found by following this link.

The program, according to the state Forest Service, allows fire departments to take ownership of the equipment they receive. Through the program the equipment is loaned to the state forestry agencies, which in turn provide it to fire departments for their use.

The list of equipment that can be obtained through the program is exhaustive. Brandon said it includes air packs, turnout gear, extinguishers and the trucks. “The North Carolina Forestry Service rolls it over to the first responders.”

The Hobgood generator.

Brandon, who is based in Rocky Mount, said two Nash County High Schools that serve as shelters on the hurricane evacuation route received generators.

The only catch in the program is that once the equipment is obtained, the fire departments receiving it must do any retrofitting and painting of the equipment to mark it as their property.

The equipment is put to good use, Ranger Adam Greene said. “Tillery has a 30kw generator that they use during storms for people who are critically ill. Hobgood has a light plant and 30kw generator.”

The Scotland Neck Fire Department received a 5-ton truck that Chief Patrick Staton said is in the process of getting retrofitted to use as a brush truck. “If we had to buy it, it's going to be anywhere from $30,000 to $40,000 in it.”

The sticker denotes the donation.

In Hobgood, Chief John Hopkin said the generator alone would cost about the $20,000 and the department received turnout gear, which he plans to use to identify junior firefighters. “It really helps us out. Our funds are limited, we've got to pay fuel costs and insurance on the building.”

Brandon, left, and Hopkin look at the light plant.

The equipment also helps rangers, Short said, because the forest service relies on the volunteer departments. “When you look at the possibility of them having a five-ton truck, they're going to be the first to respond. By them having a brush truck, it does help us out out. It helps them help us.”