Grants and funding to purchase a fire truck

A new engine or tanker is usually the single largest purchase a fire department makes, and very few departments pay for one from a single source. Most apparatus is funded with a combination of grants, loans, local capital funds and long-term financing — planned years before the purchase.

Federal grants for fire apparatus

• FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) — vehicle acquisition. AFG has a vehicle acquisition category for fire apparatus. Competition is intense, a local cost share applies (it scales with population served), and FEMA has historically directed a share of vehicle funding toward smaller and rural communities. Read the current Notice of Funding Opportunity for eligible vehicle types and priorities.
• USDA Rural Development Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program. For eligible rural areas, USDA can finance fire trucks, ambulances and equipment with low-interest direct loans, and with grants for the smallest and lowest-income communities. Loans and grants are often combined.
• Excess federal property. The USDA Forest Service's Federal Excess Personal Property (FEPP) and Firefighter Property (FFP) programs, run through state forestry agencies, can place excess federal vehicles and equipment with eligible fire departments.

State, local and private sources

Several states run apparatus or equipment programs, revolving loan funds, or firefighter relief funds — see our state fire grant program directory. Community foundations, local utilities and corporate foundations rarely fund a whole apparatus, but they frequently fund equipment to outfit it, or contribute to a local match.

Financing options

Lease-purchase agreements, municipal bonds, bank loans, and USDA loans let a department spread the cost of apparatus over its service life. Many departments pair financing with a grant that covers equipment or reduces the amount borrowed.

Plan the replacement before you need the truck

Apparatus builders' lead times have stretched well beyond a year for many custom apparatus, and prices have risen sharply. Departments that start planning late are forced into emergency purchases. A replacement plan should record each unit's age, mileage/hours, condition and maintenance cost, the target replacement year, and the estimated replacement cost at that year's prices. Our article on apparatus replacement planning walks through when to start.

Who builds fire apparatus

Major apparatus manufacturers include Pierce, Rosenbauer, E-ONE, Spartan Emergency Response, Sutphen, KME, Ferrara and many regional builders. Specifications, delivery times and price escalation clauses vary widely — get multiple quotes, and make sure your grant budget matches the quote you'll actually sign.

Capital Command's capital planning forecasts every apparatus replacement and connects each one to the funding programs that could help pay for it.

*Capital Command is an independent software company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any agency, funder, foundation or manufacturer named in this guide. Program rules, amounts and deadlines change every cycle — always confirm with the official source before applying.*