2nd life for East Longmeadow’s Fire Engine 2 in South America
EAST LONGMEADOW — The next time East Longmeadow Fire Department Engine 2 answers an emergency call, it will be blaring down the dusty streets of Salinas — a poor town on the coast of Ecuador.
The truck was auctioned off by the Fire Department and bought by a nonprofit organization that is donating the firefighting apparatus to the South American nation.
"It has never left this town, other than mutual aid, so the fact that it's going to another country and providing for fire protection, that's pretty impressive," East Longmeadow Fire Chief Christopher Beecher told The Republican.
East Longmeadow Fire Chief Christopher Beecher said he's pleased Engine 2 will be helping people fight fires in Salinas, a poor town in Ecuador. (Staasi Heropoulos / Special to The Republican)Staasi Heropoulos / Special to The Republican
East Longmeadow purchased Engine 2 for about $200,000 as a new vehicle in 1994. It was the town's "front-line" engine for 15 years.
"It was the first engine out the door and first to respond on scene," said Beecher. "Then in 2009, it was replaced and became our backup engine, which we used for additional response in town or mutual aid in another town."
Engine 2 has been replaced by a modern, million-dollar engine with state-of-the-art computers, cameras, sensors and safety features.
The old truck had logged 42,640 miles, and while it has passed all recent state and federal inspections, it was old and had to be sold.
"The truck runs fine, and it passed its pump testing with no issues. It's just based on age. It's a 30-plus-year-old vehicle, not that the miles are high, but it doesn't have a lot of safety features the newer engines have," the chief explained.
Going twice, three times …
Engine911Fund President Wilton Taveras trains firefighters in Ecuador following a recent donation of equipment to a local Fire Department there. (Provided photo)Provided photo
The truck sold for $5,000 on Municibid, an online auction site that allows schools and governments to sell used or surplus items. Engine911Fund, based in Brooklyn, New York, was the only bidder and won the truck.
The organization raises money to purchase fire apparatus and ambulances that it gives for free to poor nations, including the Dominican Republic, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.
The group's president said he's been to Salinas to see for himself the claims of desperation and now knows how much the local Fire Department could use East Longmeadow's truck.
"They sent me an email that they need trucks, ambulances, whatever they can get," said Wilton Taveras. "I went on an inspection there and saw they have old engines and old ambulances, and we're trying to help them."
Taveras said East Longmeadow's old Engine 2 will replace a truck in Salinas that is nearly 50 years old, unreliable and can't be counted on to work in an emergency.
Check under the hood
Bidders were allowed to see the truck at the East Longmeadow fire station, kick the tires, test the lights and siren, and take it for a spin around town — but Taveras bought it sight unseen.
"I called the chief, and he told me it's in good shape and working properly. I trust him," said Taveras.
East Longmeadow bought its new truck using a $700,000 federal grant, with the town paying the balance of the million-dollar sticker price. By getting funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the town promised not to sell its old engine to a fire department in the U.S.
The town might have hoped to generate more than five grand, but there is a flurry of used fire trucks for sale these days, said Greg Berry, CEO of Municibid.
"There are a lot of departments selling fire trucks, and the market is not huge for it, so it's a supply and demand issue. The prices are all over the place, so it comes down to who the buyer is and what they need it for, along with the condition and quality of the truck."
Old fire trucks can serve a lot of purposes, according to the fire chief and Municibid CEO. Ladder trucks can be used by landscaping companies to trim high branches on trees; collectors buy and show the trucks in parades; off-road racing organizations use pumpers to wet the tracks; and entrepreneurs turn fire trucks into roadside food trucks.
Chief Beecher joked that he and some of his crew thought about using the truck to cook and sell pizza.
Engine911 President Taveras expects the truck to land in Ecuador by January, when he and other firefighters in his organization will train Ecuadoran first-responders on how to use it.
"I travel to a lot of different countries. I know the people don't have anything, and they need our help," he said.
When Beecher put the truck on the auction block, he had no idea where it would end up and never imagined it will be helping poor people a world away.
"It's still a very useful truck; there's a lot of life left in it," he said. "For it to go somewhere and do some good, I'm all for it."
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