Hook & Ladder Seeks To Sell Former Fire Rescue Truck

By Andrew Gorosko

While driving along local roads, motorists may occasionally see used cars and trucks advertised for sale by their owners.

Recently, another vehicle joined that list — a heavy-duty used Ford/Pierce fire rescue truck positioned at the intersection of Church Hill Road and Wire Road, which the Newtown Hook & Ladder Volunteer Fire Company has put up for sale.

The large red-and-white truck served as the fire company’s rescue vehicle from 1983 until last summer, when Hook & Ladder took delivery of a larger refurbished Spartan/Pierce truck that it now uses for rescue work.

Hook & Ladder Treasurer Mark DeWolfe said, “We outgrew it” of the former rescue truck that is now for sale.

The fire company advertised the truck for sale through fire apparatus dealers, but did not get a good result, so it decided to put the truck on display to make it visible to a broader public, he explained.

The truck would make a good addition to a rural fire company, or could be the first vehicle that a fire company buys when it is getting involved in rescue work, he said.

 The truck’s body and mechanical parts are in excellent condition, he said, adding that it could be used by a fire company for rescue work after it is outfitted with rescue gear. The rescue gear that the truck formerly carried has been placed on Hook & Ladder’s new rescue truck.

 A fire company from Kentucky nearly bought the former rescue truck, but the transaction did not occur, Mr DeWolfe said.

The asking price for the vehicle is $15,000, or the best offer, according to a sign posted behind its windshield.

The Ford F-700 vehicle has a 25,000-watt generator and a winch that is rated to pull 12,000 pounds. The gasoline-engine vehicle has rear-wheel drive. The standard-transmission truck is equipped with floodlights and an aluminum body. It has about 12,000 miles on its odometer.

Since its has been positioned alongside Church Hill Road, the fire company has received several inquiries about the truck, but no offers to buy it, Mr DeWolfe said.

A mechanic had expressed interest in using the vehicle as a tool truck, he said, adding that tradesmen may want to convert the vehicle for their specific purposes.

“It served us so well for so many years…It served us incredibly well,” Mr DeWolfe said.

 Provided that those interested in buying the truck have the driver’s license qualification required to drive heavy trucks, they may take the vehicle for a test drive, he said. For information on the truck, potential buyers may contact the firehouse at 270-4383.