S.D. Fire Department to Sell Surplus Engines, Equipment

The San Diego Fire Department has 12 engines--one dating back to 1954--two brush-fire trucks, 320 breathing devices, and a variety of miscellaneous surplus firefighting equipment for sale by sealed bids.

Eligible bidders include other fire departments in San Diego County, fire protection districts, law enforcement agencies, and fire and rescue agencies in Mexico. The auction is not open to the public.

Minimum sealed bids range from $1 for a bundle of firefighter boots or water hose clamps to as much as $1,000 for a fire engine, Capt. Al Sawaya said. The money raised will go into the city’s general fund, Battalion Chief Charles Knight said.

Deadline for bids is July 16. Accepted bids will be given to the City Council for approval. Because the bids are sealed, there is no way to project how much the city will make from the auction, Knight said.

“We are not out to make money,” Sawaya said during the Wednesday showing of the equipment at the Fire Department Repair Facility. “It’s our way of providing equipment at a lower cost to the departments with which we have a mutual aid agreement.”

Most of the equipment works, Sawaya said, or it can easily be fixed. For example, 270 of the 320 breathing apparatuses up for bid do not meet the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s standards, Sawaya said, but they can easily be upgraded.