The Rural Fire Defense (RFD) Lease Program assists rural communities by establishing an initial fire protection program for unprotected communities and reinforcing existing fire departments with equipment and training.
GFC has operated a Rural Fire Defense (RFD) Lease Program since 1975. The program enables volunteer fire departments to respond more effectively to structural, forest, and grass fires. It also provides the GFC with a backup force of equipment and trained people for emergency forest fire situations. RFD fire suppression units include:
- Super Fire Knocker
- Wildland Brush Slip-In Unit
- Mobile Water Supply Tanker
Federal Excess Personal Property
In 2005, Congress authorized the Secretary of Defense under 10 U.S. Code § 2576b to provide excess personal property (via sale or donation) to assist firefighting agencies throughout the nation. Through this authorization, the Firefighter Property Program was established. It allows states to acquire excess Department of Defense (DOD) equipment for local emergency/firefighting at little to no cost to the end-user. In most instances, FFP enables full ownership (title, etc.) to be transferred to the end-user after meeting program criteria.
Please see the attached overview under Helpful Resources for more information on how to participate in the Firefighter Property Program.
State Excess Property
All GFC state excess property is disposed of through the Georgia Department of Administrative Services Surplus Property Division. The mission is to redistribute as much as possible to state offices, local governments, and some nonprofit groups. What is not redistributed is made available to the public through internet sales.
The State of Georgia primarily offers surplus state property to the public through internet auction providers. To see property that is currently being offered, please click on one of the links below. To place bids on these auction sites, you much first set up a user account. To set up a user account, click on the desired auction site on follow the sites’ instructions.
https://www.publicsurplus.com/
Helpful Resources
| Title | Description | Document Type |
|---|---|---|
| Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act Of 1978 | ||
| FFP Program Overview | The Firefighter Property (FFP) Program refers to excess Department of Defense (DoD) property that is suitable for use in providing fire and emergency services. The FFP Program began in 2005; Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) began participating in 2012. The US Department of Defense (DoD) allows USFS to manage excess DoD Firefighting property transfers. USFS works in cooperation with the State agency responsible for wildland and rural firefighting to ensure authorized and qualified firefighting entities are Users/Recipients of the property. | |
| ISO Mitigation Tables and Wildland Brush Apparatus | ||
| NFP/VFA Volunteer Fire Assistance Grant Announcement Letter FY2024 | ||
| Public Law 94-519 (as amended) | ||
| Sample Application GFC VFA Grant | Preview of grant application. Applications must be submitted through online system. | |
| Super Fire Knocker | The “Fire Knocker” is a self contained “slip-on” tanker unit. | |
| Volunteer Fire Assistance Program Frequently Asked Questions | ||
| Volunteer Fire Assistance Program Overview and General Guidelines | ||
| Wildland Brush Slip-In Unit | ICS Type 6/7 Engine – Tanks are constructed of 3/16” aluminum and are baffled to meet current NFPA specifications |