Broadus Volunteer Fire Department Chief Raymond Ragsdale and PR County Road Department Supervisor Teel Mullanix pose with a newly acquired gently used dozer, which will be used by the VFD on fires, and by the Road Department in the gravel pits. (Photo courtesy Broadus VFD)
The Broadus Volunteer Fire Department recently joined forces with the PR County Road Department in procuring a Cat D6R Dozer through the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.
The VFD has been working to attain a dozer through the DNRC program for more than a year, and when this particular Air Force surplus dozer with 1,600 hours of total use came up in the program, the VFD jumped at the opportunity. The program through the DNRC means the dozer comes to the fire department with no cost. The fire department must maintain and use the dozer on fires for five years, at which time ownership will transfer from the state to the fire department.
That issue of maintenance, as well as hauling and operating the dozer is where the county comes into the picture. The weight of the dozer (listed at 40,000 lbs) means it must be hauled to fires via semi on the county's large trailer. The dozer will be operated by county road department personnel on fires (similar to how road graders are currently used for wildfires). In trade, the county will use the dozer during the fire off season in their gravel pits, but the contract with DNRC means it needs to be available for fires.
Road Department Supervisor Teel Mullanix told us that the dozer is already paying off, as it is much faster in use compared to the county's current D7 dozer.
Assistant Fire Chief Clint Pedersen said that there are some things on the dozer that need worked on and changed to have it ready for fire use, such as changing out the current U blade to an angle blade that will better push unburned fuels to the outside of a fire containment line, as well as a ripper for the back, and sweeps over the cab to protect the operator.
Pedersen said the dozer will be used on initial attack on private land and won't take the place of contractor dozers. He is working with the DNRC, BLM, and Forest Service on agreements to use the dozer on fires in those grounds when necessary.
Pedersen says another option currently being discussed may be for the county to find a smaller dozer, and then swap the county for this dozer, which would ultimately suit both the county and fire department better by not swapping blades, etc. and also not needing the county's large trailer to haul a smaller dozer to fires.
The ultimate goal with a dozer on hand for fire use is to save time and reduced burned acreage, as when a dozer is currently needed, the county has to drive a truck and trailer to a gravel pit where a dozer is located, load the dozer, and travel to the fire, which Pedersen says often means 8 or more hours before a dozer is building line around a fire.
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