The director of environmental management may purchase any special forest fire equipment and supplies that in his or her judgment may be necessary to promptly and quickly extinguish forest fires occurring in the more heavily wooded areas of the state, and the equipment and supplies shall be located in each of the forest lookout station zones at those places and under any supervision that the director may designate. The equipment and supplies may consist of gas masks, pumps, hose, brooms, shovels, trucks and similar articles, but the equipment and supplies shall not be purchased until an appropriation is made by the general assembly.