How Will Firefighters Use These Huge Vehicles to Help Protect NH?

Officials at the New Hampshire Forest Protection Bureau have acquired six vehicles that can be converted to hold massive amounts of water to help firefighters throughout the state battle wildland fires.

Firefighters now have access to three five-ton and three 2.5-ton Stewart-Stevenson vehicles that can be retrofitted to hold 1,000-gallon tanks of water and 500-gallon tanks of water, respectively.

Typically, vehicles used by local fire departments are limited to 100- or 250-gallon capacities, according to a press release issued on Monday morning.

The vehicles previously belonged to the U.S. Department of Defense and were made available to state officials through a U.S. Forest Service program.

They came at no cost, according to a press release.

The vehicles in the photo above will be painted. The one below is being prepared to be loaned to the Loudon Fire Department.

New Hampshire fire officials must demonstrate a department's need for a vehicle as well as the ability to fund any retrofitting and maintenance costs in order to qualify for a loan.

Bartlett, Loudon and Temple will be loaned the 2.5-ton vehicles. Londonderry and Pembroke and will be loaned the five-ton vehicles, with an additional five-ton vehicle yet to be assigned, according to the press release.

New Hampshire experiences an average of 250 wildland fires each year, which burn an average of 250 acres in every corner of the state.

Another 200 to 300 illegal fires occur each year that are extinguished before they turn into a wildland fire, according to officials at the Forest Protection Bureau.

The New Hampshire Forest Protection Bureau is a part of N.H. Division of Forests and Lands. Officials at the bureau are responsible for protecting 4.5 million acres of both public and private New Hampshire forestlands from the threat of wildland fire and crimes against the forest resource.

Contact Managing News Editor Kimberley Haas at Kimberley.Haas@townsquaremedia.com.