A 2006 fire engine that once responded to emergencies in Leland is now serving a Kentucky county nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.

At its Aug. 18 regular meeting, the Leland Town Council unanimously approved the $37,500 sale of the 2006 Sutphen Fire Engine to the Laurel County Fire Department in Laurel County, Kentucky — the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken. 

Leland Fire Chief Ronnie Hayes said the engine served the community for around 16 years before it was declared surplus following the purchase of new equipment. 

Equipment is currently replaced using the National Fire Protection Association model, Hayes said, which recommends replacing engines after around 20 years of service. Hayes said equipment is declared surplus and sold based on time in service, miles driven, damage and maintenance cost. 

Leland Fire/Rescue was originally established in 1959 as a volunteer non-profit organization. It wasn't until 2017 that the department became part of the Town of Leland. Hayes said this 2006 engine was purchased and when the department was a non-profit. 

Around 2005, he said, one of the organization's trucks was involved in an accident, rolled and needed to be replaced quickly. The 2006 Sutphen truck would do the job, so it was purchased even thought it didn't completely match the department's specific needs.

The truck served the Leland community for over a decade before it was deemed the reserve unit around four years ago, Hayes said. According to documents from the sale, the engine had driven 57,554 miles.

With the purchase of new equipment, the engine was declared surplus as it was old and cost the most in maintenance. 

Hayes said surplus equipment is listed and sold through GovDeals, an online marketplace that facilitates the sale of surplus government or educational assets to other government entities or to the public.

The engine was listed on GovDeals and, Hayes said, several agencies were interested. The Laurel County Fire Department ultimately was the highest bidder, securing the engine for $37,500 on July 14. 

Typically, he said, any surplus equipment is discussed at the Brunswick County Fire Chiefs Association's bi-monthly meetings. If a local department is in need of equipment another agency is looking to sell, Hayes said, that process can take place locally.

But, generally, he said, items are listed on GovDeals and local departments can participate in the bid with agencies from across the nation. 

With the sale of old equipment comes the addition of new equipment, and Leland Fire/Rescue is currently in the lengthy process of ordering and receiving two new trucks. 

"Buying a fire truck is not like going to the Ford Motor dealership down the road and buying a vehicle," Hayes said. "It take anywhere between a year and a half to two years to build a fire truck once you order it."

Hayes said the department ordered a new tiller truck around this time last year, and is set to receive it in summer 2023 — two years after it was ordered. 

Last month, members of the department's apparatus committee traveled to Louisiana for a pre-construction meeting regarding its new Engine 53, which is set to be delivered in spring 2024. 

"We have to plan way ahead and think ahead of when these trucks are going to be going out of service," Hayes said. 

Jamey Cross is the public safety reporter at the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter @jameybcross.