Two programs that allow local fire departments to obtain excess U.S. Department of Defense equipment to help them fight wildland fire have been shut down abruptly and without warning. Through the Federal Excess Personal Property (FEPP) and Firefighter Property Program (FPP), fire departments obtained, on average, more than $150 million-worth of decommissioned DoD apparatus and equipment annually between 2008 and 2012. Most of this equipment went to rural volunteer fire departments, which typically lack financial resources and yet provide 80 percent of the initial attack on wildland fires in the U.S.

The FEPP and FPP have been suspended apparently because the used equipment do not meet federal emissions standards. Senator John McCain is circulating a letter in the U.S. Senate to the Secretary of Defense asking for an explanation as to why the decision was made to halt equipment transfers and to provide a specific course of action to correct the situation as quickly as possible. The deadline for signing onto the letter is Wednesday, July 9. Contact your U.S. Senators TODAY and tell them to sign onto the letter.

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