By Bill Short
The Millington Board of Mayor and Aldermen has adopted a resolution authorizing the transfer of a surplus fire truck to the Airport Authority Fire Department.
Board members took the action during their Oct. 13 regular monthly meeting on a motion offered by Alderman Don Lowry and seconded by Alderman Thomas McGhee.
The motion was passed by five affirmative votes, with Alderman John Perales absent.
The resolution stated that the city had “officially removed” a 1996 Spartan pumper truck from active service and had relocated it to the Millington-Memphis airport for storage.
It noted that the Airport Authority had expressed a desire to acquire the vehicle for use by its fire department.
The city’s policy is to dispose of usable surplus property through public auction and non-usable property through sale as scrap or delivery to a landfill.
But the resolution acknowledged that the public auction requirement can be waived when surplus property is transferred to another governmental entity.
At its July 14 meeting, the board adopted a resolution approving the city Fire Department’s request to purchase vehicles, emergency lighting and rescue equipment.
That resolution stated that the Fiscal Year 2026 capital expenditure budget includes $850,000 for firefighting vehicles.
It noted that the Fire Department had received a Sourcewell Cooperative Purchasing quote of $684,900 for an E-One pumper truck from Sunbelt Fire Inc.
The department also requested to purchase two staff vehicles – one for the Public Safety director and one for the “new fire chief” for $88,551.
The resolution stated that remaining FY26 funds would be used to purchase hydraulic rescue equipment, assorted “loose” fire equipment and emergency lighting for $60,000.
Gary Graves, the city’s Public Safety director and fire chief, initially told the board that the Fire Department’s “reserve” pumper would be sold.
He recalled that, in Fiscal Year 2023, the department ordered a new pumper that was “two years in the making,” because that was “post-COVID,” and everything was “backed up.”
It came “offline” on Aug. 12.
Graves also said the pumper approved at the July 14 meeting was already built and met the department’s needs.
Both trucks were delivered around the end of August, and they replaced the previous “frontline” pumpers.
The one that came offline on Aug. 12 replaced Engine 335 at Station 1, and the one approved on July 14 replaced Engine 332 at Station 2.
So, the department now has two “brand-new” frontline pumpers and two reserve pumpers.
Engine 337, the “reserve” 1996 Spartan pumper, was originally slated to be “posted” through GovDeals and sold.
But during a recent telephone interview, Graves said it was transferred to the Airport Authority instead.
“We weren’t going to get a whole lot of money out of it anyway,” he acknowledged.
Although the municipal airport has “air-crash” equipment, which is “totally different,” Graves said it is also required to have a Class 1 pumper truck.
He noted that the truck was moved to the airport and stored there only “a week or so” before the board’s adoption of the resolution.
