Department won grant, promised not to sell old fire truck to any other fire dept

[thomastender]

Our rural department is in the market for a used fire truck. Some searching on a fire equipment broker's website turned up something in our price range. The broker put us in contact with the vehicle's owner, a fire department in another state. Their reason for selling the truck is they were awarded a grant for a new truck by AFG. But it turns out that in their grant application they promised they would not sell the truck to any other fire department. They promised FEMA that they would sell it to either a dealer or a private individual.

So our department can not buy this truck directly from the other fire department. Is it OK for the other department to sell the truck to a dealer and then for the dealer to sell it to us? This strategy was espoused by a broker. This would seem to go against the spirit of the promise the other department made to FEMA. Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks

[imafireman]

It is my understanding that this vehicle can be sold to the broker or dealer. It is then the responsibilty of the broker or dealer to go over the unit to certify that it will still meet the NFPA standards that were in place when it was built. If you purchase this vehicle from the dealer, I would make sure that they have done what was necessary to ensure it meets the standards.

[Catch22]

It is my understanding that this vehicle can be sold to the broker or dealer. It is then the responsibilty of the broker or dealer to go over the unit to certify that it will still meet the NFPA standards that were in place when it was built. If you purchase this vehicle from the dealer, I would make sure that they have done what was necessary to ensure it meets the standards.

It seems to me the broker is trying to circumvent the process and is merely laundering the money/truck for the department, for lack of a better term.

[DeputyMarshal]

Selling it to a dealer insures that, if it is re-sold to a fire department, it will be up to NFPA standards appropriate for its year of manufacture. It's just a hedge against liability.

There is no conflict in using the dealer as a middle man as long as it's understood that the dealer is going to mark up the selling price. This is exactly why the grant agreement requires it to be sold to a dealer in the first place.

[nmfire]

It seems to me the broker is trying to circumvent the process and is merely laundering the money/truck for the department, for lack of a better term.

While that is what it appears to be, that is precisely what the grant requires they do.

[islandfire03]

It is my understanding that this vehicle can be sold to the broker or dealer. It is then the responsibilty of the broker or dealer to go over the unit to certify that it will still meet the NFPA standards that were in place when it was built. If you purchase this vehicle from the dealer, I would make sure that they have done what was necessary to ensure it meets the standards.

If the selling department described the truck as unsafe and needing replacement then why would you want to buy an "unsafe" piece of fire apparatus? Seems to me that there may be more to this than meets the eye.

Technically they can sell it to the broker/dealer who then must repair/rebuild it to meet all applicable nfpa standards as of the original date of manufacture of the apparatus. It must meet all pump testing standards ,all electrical system standards and all safety standards. Then it must be certified to meet them.

What kind of guarantee do you get when buying a "refurbed" unsafe piece thats been passed through a brokers hands???? Will it become your unsafe truck when you put your money down and the broker says you bought it :::you own it's problems.

This is not to state that all brokers operate this way, but buyer beware!

There was a recent similar thread where a truck replaced by AFG was sold to a used car/truck dealer, repainted and then bought by the chief who donated it to his department.
Another questionable deal.

Another thought:: if it smells like a fish it probably is a little stinky

[thomastender]

Thanks for all the comments so far.

I'm the poster of the original question. Thanks for all the comments so far.

The issues are much clearer to me now. Is it a fair summary to say that fire departments looking for used fire trucks ought to contact "dealers" and not "brokers"? Does anybody know of any dealer websites that would sell older firetrucks, perhaps sold to dealers per FEMA requirements, but having undergone inspection and available to us without us needing to walk a fine line regarding FEMA's rules?

Thanks again for all your help. Our department hasn't bought a truck in years so these rules are all new to us.

[islandfire03]

I'm the poster of the original question. Thanks for all the comments so far.

The issues are much clearer to me now. Is it a fair summary to say that fire departments looking for used fire trucks ought to contact "dealers" and not "brokers"? Does anybody know of any dealer websites that would sell older firetrucks, perhaps sold to dealers per FEMA requirements, but having undergone inspection and available to us without us needing to walk a fine line regarding FEMA's rules?

Thanks again for all your help. Our department hasn't bought a truck in years so these rules are all new to us.

Thomas: glad we could help you .

One seller that seems to facilitate a lot of used apparatus sales is firetec, they connect selling departments with buyers. They have listings for many used trucks
http://www.firetec.com/

[ktb9780]

I'm the poster of the original question. Thanks for all the comments so far.

The issues are much clearer to me now. Is it a fair summary to say that fire departments looking for used fire trucks ought to contact "dealers" and not "brokers"? Does anybody know of any dealer websites that would sell older firetrucks, perhaps sold to dealers per FEMA requirements, but having undergone inspection and available to us without us needing to walk a fine line regarding FEMA's rules?

Thanks again for all your help. Our department hasn't bought a truck in years so these rules are all new to us.

I believe the question remains; did you try to get a new truck through AFG? The matching requirement is probably less than what you are going to pay for a used truck and unless you are woefully short of the basic requirements to be awarded. Just curious if you pursued that route.

[thomastender]

We put in for bunker gear but thought our call volume was too low for truck

We applied for bunker gear. Our call volume is pretty low and we thought that asking for a truck might be too much. Does call volume figure heavily in AFG truck grants?

[ktb9780]

Two separate issues, but I have proven time and time again that there is more than one way to skin a cat. Not saying that you could get it but, an honest try, with a properly written and well thought out plan and who knows? Why settle for second hand goods without ever having tried to "grab the brass ring"? Some things to consider:

- is the average age of your fleet more than 20 years
- is there bad safety problems
- high maintenance costs
- excessive down time
- was the truck trying to be replaced never designed specifically as a fire service vehicle ( retired milk tanker as an example)

Not saying here that you can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear but, if you want to send me a phone number or PM me through my profile I will be glad to call you and discuss your exact circumstances and give you an honest opinion on your chances.

[islandfire03]

Thomas: Make the contact with Kurt. The worst you will do is learn from him that it might be possible for your department to get a grant.
He is a wonderful resource and shares his knowledge with all of us.

[Bones42]

...Does anybody know of any dealer websites that would sell older firetrucks...

Ours will be appearing on govdeals.com soon...

[WarrenJ]

AFG policy on replaced vehicles and use.

From the AFG website FAQ section on vehicles;

Question: In my application, I indicated my existing vehicle was unsafe and I would remove it from service. What do I need to do in order to comply with this requirement?

AFG Answer: The unsafe vehicle cannot be used in emergency service. It cannot be sold, donated, and/or given to another department. The unsafe vehicle may be traded in, taken to the junk yard for scrap, donated to a museum, relegated to farm use, or given to a training academy as long as it will not be utilized for driver training (it could be used for training firefighters to operate the pump). In order to assure an unsafe vehicle is removed, we'll require the grantee to transfer title of the vehicle to any individual or organization that is not in the business of providing first-responder services.


Warren

[Greenacres2]

From the AFG website FAQ section on vehicles;

Question: In my application, I indicated my existing vehicle was unsafe and I would remove it from service. What do I need to do in order to comply with this requirement?

AFG Answer: The unsafe vehicle cannot be used in emergency service. It cannot be sold, donated, and/or given to another department. The unsafe vehicle may be traded in, taken to the junk yard for scrap, donated to a museum, relegated to farm use, or given to a training academy as long as it will not be utilized for driver training (it could be used for training firefighters to operate the pump). In order to assure an unsafe vehicle is removed, we'll require the grantee to transfer title of the vehicle to any individual or organization that is not in the business of providing first-responder services.


Warren

That's what i was thinking. Trading in even to be refurbished, if i recall correctly, is not allowed. Keep in mind that you can apply for BOTH operations AND vehicle in the same AFG cycle so applying for turnout gear does not stop you from applying for a vehicle. Since that started there's been enough departments with dual awards i wouldn't think your chances would be hurt either.

earl