And as cars modernized and were built with high-strength boron-infused steel, older excavation tools became more antiquated.

Union Township firefighters revealed on Monday their newest prized possession: A lighter, faster extrication tool 30 percent lighter than older models and three times as strong.

"It's great to use," said firefighter Paulo Lopes. "It's light. It's fast. The spreaders open quickly. They close faster so you can cut and move onto the next cut a lot faster."

Lopes then proved his point.

In 17 minutes, the firefighters tore apart a car donated by chemical company BASF for the purpose of demonstration. By the end, shards of glass littered the ground surrounding the dusty orange hatchback, and its doors lay around the periphery. The smell of gasoline lingered in the air.

"New vehicle technology is a big challenge for us," said Lt. Anthony Schmidtberg.

Even with the newer extrication technology, Schmidtberg said tearing into a car requires a certain level of precision. Carelessness can trigger explosions in hoods and trunks.

The department paid $250,000 to buy 78 pieces of equipment, including hoses and storage bags, said fire chief Thomas Byrne. Officials will pay back the $250,000 to the equipment company, ESI, over a period of two years with no interest.

 Gordonville received a 1997 Stewart Stevenson M1078 that has been refitted to fight fires.

“We painted it a nonmilitary color, added emergency lighting and the slip-on unit which we got with a 100-percent grant from TFS,” Gordonville VFD Chief Doug Adcock said in a news release. “We are in the process of putting a wildland firefighting deck gun on the front, and then the vehicle will be set to fight wildland fires.”

Since the DOD program was created in 2005, more than 400 trucks have been donated to fire departments across Texas. Volunteer fire departments in Fannin and Grayson counties have received a total of nine trucks through the program.Savoy VFD received a truck earlier this year. Once a department receives a truck, they have to meet stipulations required by the DOD, such as painting it a nonmilitary color and converting it into an emergency response vehicle. The departments must also insure the vehicles and provide proper housing and maintenance.

“When they receive those trucks, they have 180 days to get them painted and turn them into whatever type of firefighting apparatus they want it to be, and then it’s inspected,” Suzy Cossey, a Business Associate at Texas A&M Forest Service, said.

The Gordonville truck was inspected on May 2 and approved. The departments are responsible for the cost of refitting the vehicles, but the Texas A&M Forest Service has grants and a cost-share program available.

“Most of the departments do all that work themselves because funding is so limited,” Cossey said. “A lot of them will do the painting, and if they need to weld something or take something off, all of that they do themselves.”