From the belly of the C-17 Globemaster at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport on Thursday rolled out two Ford F-550 brush trucks ready to head to Pohakuloa Training Area.
The arrival-by-air of the off-road apparatuses from Oahu to bolster PTA’s firefighting capabilities in the Big Island’s Saddle marked the first such movement of equipment in this way in Hawaii, said U.S. Army Garrison Lt. Col. Christopher Marquez. The two brush trucks transported bring to three the number of brush trucks stationed at Pohakuloa, which is situated in the Saddle between Mauna Loa and Maunakea at an elevation of about 6,000 feet, said PTA Fire Chief Eric Moller.