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Cache County council approves donation of two surplus fire engines to neighboring departments
Summary
The Cache County Council approved donating two out of four surplus 1996 fire engines to small Box Elder County fire departments, citing equipment needs and executive recommendation; the other two engines will be surplussed or offered to other needy departments.
Cache County Council voted unanimously to authorize the donation of two surplus fire engines to small Box Elder County departments after the county executive recommended the transfer.
The discussion centered on four 1996-model engines the county no longer intends to use. The county’s Fire Chief said the vehicles run but require maintenance; he told the council, “there’s a lot of inventory on the brokers list, and they’re pretty expensive,” and noted that two small departments had very limited budgets — “one’s budget is only $2,500 a year” — and were effectively unable to replace failing apparatus.
The Nut Graf: Council members said donating low-value but operable engines to small neighboring departments would be an efficient use of county property while avoiding maintenance costs and providing immediate public-safety benefits to underfunded volunteer departments.
In discussion, the fire chief described maintenance issues typical for older apparatus — pumps, hydraulics and seals — and noted that the county could expect only modest returns at auction (roughly $1,000–$6,000 per unit). Council members asked whether sale proceeds would return to the general fund and confirmed that they would. The chief said the executive had already approved the donation in principle, and council authorization was required because the transfer is below market value.
Council Member Nolan Gunnell moved to approve the donation; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously. The council clarified the approval applied to two engines to be given to Box Elder County departments (Portage and Fielding were named as recipients). The fire chief said the county would continue efforts to identify needy departments for the remaining two engines and otherwise surplus them for sale.
Ending: The county will coordinate transfer logistics and require recipients to pick up the vehicles. The council did not adopt additional conditions such as monetary compensation in the temporary authorization; those details will be handled administratively.
