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A 1992 Grumman Engine fire truck that was part of the Milton Fire Department’s fleet will be sold in an online auction that runs through Sept. 16.
This is a view of the Milton fire truck that will be sold by auction through Sept. 16.
A 1992 Grumman Engine fire truck that was part of the Milton Fire Department’s fleet will be sold in an online auction that runs through Sept. 16.
This is a view of the Milton fire truck that will be sold by auction through Sept. 16.
If you’ve always dreamed of owning a fire truck, there is a local engine on the market.
Milton Borough is selling its 1992 Grumman Engine through an online auction site municibid.com, an outlet the borough has used previously and others sell everything from lawnmowers and tools to fire engines.
The auction will be open to Pennsylvania residents through Friday, Sept. 16.
The sale of the engine is not as rare as it seems.
Greg Berry, founder and CEO of municibid, said his company has been in place for 16 years and works with nearly 3,000 cities and towns.
“Milton Borough has been a customer of ours for a while,” Berry said. “We’ve been able to auction off all kinds of items, tools, equipment.”
Milton Borough Manager Jess Novinger said borough officials have already ordered a new engine, which is set to arrive within the next month. The fire department simply doesn’t have the space to hold an engine that won’t be in use, so they’ve put it on the auction block.
“We typically do it with all of our older apparatus,” Novinger said. “We are not in a larger market to get it in front of people, so this gives us that chance. They have a large website where plenty of people just watch this website and bid on items.”
Berry said his company probably sells “a couple hundred” fire trucks a year.
As of Friday afternoon, the highest bid among the 19 offered for the Milton engine was $5,300. While 9 percent of the sale price goes back to municibid.com, the remainder of the funds go directly to the borough according to a release announcing the sale.
The fire truck has 27,438 miles on it and about 3,500 engine hours, a number buyers often consider more than miles, Berry said.
Rarely, Berry said, is equipment like the engine repurposed as a fire truck. Some go to collectors, some are bought for parts, and some are salvaged and used as parade vehicles.
“Most people don’t know what happens to a fire truck, or what to do with it,” Berry said. “We are an option for them to ensure the most eyeballs get on them and they are marketed to the right buyers. A lot of people say they want to buy a firetruck, but not everyone is in the market.
Novinger said Milton Borough officials use American Rescue Plan funding to purchase the new truck. “We just don’t have the room and this is a company we have worked with in the past to sell old cars, holiday lighting, desks. This time it’s a fire truck.”
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