The Houston Rural Fire Department took another big step last week in its ongoing process of constant improvement, adding a large brush truck to its fleet.
Looking at it now, it’s not easy to envision that the truck – nicknamed “Bigfoot” – was less than a year ago a military transport vehicle. After receiving a major makeover, the big red machine is now equipped with the ability to suck and spray water from outside sources (such as ponds or creeks), but can also carry 900 gallons in its on-board tank.
Bigfoot’s high ground clearance and four-wheel-drive give it the ability to go places smaller brush trucks can’t, and its tank has triple the capacity of its less sizable cousins.
“It’s going to give us much better access in rough terrain,” said Houston Rural Fire Chief Don Gaston. “It won’t be an every day truck used at every fire, but in certain circumstances it will make a huge difference. I can think of a lot of times we would like to have had it.”
Houston Rural obtained Bigfoot for free from the Missouri Department of Conservation, which was given about 160 of vehicles by the U.S. Army. After receiving them, MDC distributed the trucks via an application process.
“We were very fortunate to get one,” said Houston Rural Fire Association board president Jack Watson. “This is such a great addition to the department.”
Two men were basically responsible for Bigfoot’s transformation from a mid-1990s model military vehicle to firefighting juggernaut: Kyle Hale and Jon Cook. The two spent thousands of man-hours toiling in Hale’s shop building on Highway E north of Houston, stripping down the original truck and then rebuilding it with firefighting equipment and finishing it with a sharp red paint job.
“The man at MDC who distributes the trucks said this was the best job done on any of them he’s handed out,” Watson said. “I’ve seen some of the others that the other departments painted, and they don’t even come close to what Kyle did on this one.
“He and Jon did an excellent job.”
“It will be a shame if we get a scratch on it,” Gaston said.
Houston Rural’s fleet now features four brush trucks, two pumpers, two rescue vehicles and a tanker. The department’s roster includes 15 active firefighters.
“When a call comes in for a structure fire or something like that, we can usually run with 11 or 12,” Gaston said. “That’s a lot better than a lot of departments – and I’m thankful for that.
“And it’s a lot of top-notch people, too.” Houston Rural Fire Department firefighter Byron Crewse tests Bigfoot’s ability to suck and spray water from an outside source at Brushy Creek north of the fire station.
“It’s going to give us much better access in rough terrain…I can think of a lot of times we would like to have had it.”
DON GASTON