Ford discontinued the Bronco two years after O.J. Simpson used it in his infamous slow-speed chase against law enforcement. The company brought back the SUV in 2021, and now it could be the future of the federal government’s efforts to fight wildfires.
Right now, firefighting remains low-tech and hasn’t changed much in the past century, says Wes Siler, “Indefinitely Wild” lifestyle columnist for Outside Magazine.
“It's teams of people that are paid way less than they should be, taking a lot of risk to dig firebreaks with hand tools. We're talking shovels and pickaxes and chainsaws. … They're cutting down trees or digging up brush, and they're creating a dirt road through the forest, and hopefully the dirt road is wide enough that sparks can't cross it, and the fire can't continue to travel,” he explains.
The old tools are still in place partly because wildfire fighting has been chronically underfunded. President Biden signed legislation two years ago that earmarks some $5 billion for improving it, but Siler says that’s not as big as it sounds, considering the huge effects of climate change on the nation.
“A big bucket of that money is going to paying firefighters a living wage, which right now they are not. … After all that’s spent, there's only about $72 million going to developing new technology. Talking about the military in comparison to this, that's a handful of tanks, that's one airplane. This is a relatively small chunk of change.”
Where does the Bronco fit into all this? The newest model is the most capable off-road vehicle, Siler says. Meanwhile, a traditional firetruck — which you see running along your neighborhood street — can’t get down a dirt road.
He describes the technology within the SUV: “This Bronco has four big antennas on it that … communicate with firefighters’ cell phones through their own dedicated network. … It brings radio channel, satellite data, and cell phone data … all onto a simple tablet in the driver space.”
He continues, “They have up-to-the-minute data. … They can see exactly where a fire is, they can see exactly where the fire is advancing. If they have a question about something, the drone can hop over there real fast, put that video right on everybody's tablet, and they can use that information to make safer, more empowering decisions.”
The Bronco is also simple to drive, which gives fire crews a sense of confidence and mobility, he adds.
So far, Ford is building only two of these vehicles because they’re in the concept stage.
“Ford donated this vehicle to the Department of Interior as part of its Bronco Wild initiative, which shows them giving … stuff to make up for the impact of off-roading,” Siler explains. “And it was actually built from a stock vehicle by a company called Darley, which is a very large government contractor that makes fire trucks, that makes military vehicles. And they're really hoping that this initial proof of concept could then lead to a production run with a government contract.”
Why doesn’t the U.S. military do this? Money. Siler says you’d have to create a gap in the military budget for domestic wildfire fighting. Plus different skills and gear are involved, and soldiers are not trained to fight fires.