Bergenfield firetrucks up for bid on government auction site

BERGENFIELD — Need a firetruck in your life? Or two, perhaps?

The borough of Bergenfield has put two up for sale on the government auction site GovDeals.com.

A 1988 Hahn Pumper and a 1976 American LaFrance Aerial, both of which were last seen sitting at the side of the Alert Fire Company firehouse on West Church Street, were posted on the website on Friday, each with a starting bid of $5,000.

As of Tuesday, no bids had been placed on either truck. Both will be listed on the site until Jan. 14.

The Borough Council approved a resolution at its Dec. 17 meeting to put the decommissioned trucks up for bid. That put an end to several months of discussion about their fates.

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Last summer, there was consideration to offer the Hahn Pumper truck for free to the town of Samaná in the Dominican Republic, which needed a pumper truck. There was also talk of donating the American LaFrance Aerial.

At one point, former Bergenfield Councilman Barry Doll said he wanted to purchase the Hahn Pumper firetruck for use by The Restored Rusty Relics Antique Auto Club, a group of classic automobile collectors based in North Jersey. Old fire apparatus is sometimes purchased for use on farms.

The Hahn pumper has a working engine and less than 4,000 miles on the odometer. The aerial truck — the type of truck with a telescoping ladder to reach high floors — has about 30,000 miles and an engine that is described in the auction details as operable but in need of repair. You'll need lots of storage room, though, for the 54-foot-long behemoth.

When new, a fully outfitted aerial firetruck can cost up to $1 million.

Ricardo Kaulessar is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com Twitter: @ricardokaul