Five local insurance companies and the Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. are donating more than $57,000 to help the Honolulu Fire Department buy an off-road truck that will help fire crews get to wildfires faster next summer.

"Every fire is going to be different," HFD Capt. Terry Seelig said. "But we hope with a new rapid attack truck to be able to attack a wildfire and stop its run so it doesn't spread and get larger."

The truck will be built on a Ford F-550 chassis and can carry 300 gallons of water that can be pumped at 300 gallons per minute.

The typical HFD truck used to battle municipal fires can carry 750 gallons of water, which can be pumped at a rate of 1,500 gallons per minute.

"The rapid attack truck has a smaller water tank and a smaller pump than our regular fire truck but has the capability of delivering a lot of water resources in a quick period of time," Seelig said. "Its advantage, of course, is a 4-by-4 drive train and better clearance so we can go off-road. This will definitely allow us to get closer to a wildfire."

Even with the new truck, some areas of O'ahu will still remain hard to reach.

"We're not going to be able to get into the back of Makaha Valley, for instance," Seelig said.

The truck is expected to cost around $200,000, Seelig said, and $57,525 will come from a nationwide program called Fireman's Fund Heritage, which is funded by the Fireman's Fund Insurance Co.

Since 2004, the Fireman's Fund has issued more than $14 million in grants to pay for equipment, training and educational tools for local fire departments, the organization said in a statement.

Independent insurance companies nationwide that sell Fireman's Fund products provide the grants to local fire departments.

The $57,525 for the HFD's new wildfire truck comes from Finance Insurance ($14,138), Insurance Associated ($14,242), King and Neel ($10,000), Monarch Insurance Services ($11,536) and Servco Insurance Services ($7,609).

John H. Connors Insurance will direct an additional $5,140 for Station 24 in 'Ewa Beach to pay for an ice machine to help hydrate firefighters, and a forcible entry saw for rescue situations.

Honolulu fire officials still have to come up with about $150,000 to pay for the new wildfire truck, Seelig said.

"It might come from our operating budget or we might be able to secure a federal grant," he said. "But we will buy it one way or another."

It's not clear where the new truck will be stationed, but the crew will have to undergo additional training in handling and operating it, Seelig said.

"The firefighting will be the same techniques and tactics that we currently use," he said.

HFD already has an older brushfire truck donated by the state Department of Forestry and Wildlife, which is stationed in Kapolei.