> Are they [military surplus vehicles] not available to California fire companies?
Actually, I think they're designated "excess to needs" rather than
"surplus". The "surplus" vehicles are sold at auction.
I'm sure they must be available, as they all come to us with DRMO
stickers on them, and also a plate on the dash that says something like
"FEDERAL PROPERTY - FOR FIRE PROTECTION USE ONLY ". This indicates to
me that even though the state distributes the vehicles to the fire
departments, the federal government retains ownership. Perhaps
California doesn't participate in the program for some reason. Most of
the military stuff in Oklahoma seems to go to rural departments. I
don't know why, except that municipal departments need more
sophisticated equipment for structure fires (large pumpers, aerials,
ladders, etc). The rural fire departments are playing an entirely
different ball game (trying to fight fires that MOVE), and military
vehicles are ideally suited for them.
-Bill