ARFF are used by fire departments and can be purchased new or used. When it comes to ARFF trucks, many fire departments will purchase them second hand because they are cheaper this way. This is just like a new car purchase in that those who have the money to buy a new car outright will of course want to go new. But if they are limited as to the money that they spend, then they might want to go used because you get a lot more bang for your buck. When you want to save money, you go used. And the same concept applies to fire departments.
Those who wanted to buy ARFF trucks were usually out of luck years ago if they wanted to find them new. Unless they knew of another municipality or community that was selling them, they had to go new. It was difficult for people to get information before the internet and sales like those for used ARFF trucks would have been by word of mouth. Sure, there might have been an auction item published by a local paper, but unless you were in the area and read the paper regularly, you would not get this information. Today, however, because information is available right at our fingertips, we do not have to worry about getting this information as it is all there for us, ready and waiting.
If you want to get the best deal on fire department equipment, then the thing to do is to buy used. These can be damaged in some cases, but they can also be repaired. Those fire departments that upgrade their equipment and might have the money to buy new will also offer their old stuff online for sale. This is a good way for a community that may not have so much money to get a deal from a community that has a bit more and this allows them to find where the trucks are being sold and for how much.
Buying used equipment in the long run will end up saving a great deal of money for any fire department. Once the equipment sees some sort of action, it is no longer new anyway so a fire department might as well go used when they are looking for a way to save money. As most fire departments are funded in some way by taxpayers, the taxpayers are generally happy to save some money, although it is important that they do not compromise the services.
Anyone who lives in a community of any type, deserves to be safe from fires and have a fire department that will be able to help them in such a time of need. The fire equipment can be easily recycled and used over and over again by communities that are in need of the equipment. It is better for a community to get used equipment and have everything that they need when it comes to fighting fires rather than it would be for them to only have a few pieces of new equipment but not enough to actually help when it comes to fires and other hazards.