Episode 319: How Garage Is Fixing the Broken Secondary Market for Fire Apparatus with Martin Hunt
The secondary market for fire apparatus runs on Facebook groups, newspaper classifieds, and local auctions. A small town in Texas budgeted $100,000 for a used truck sale. Garage got them $1.3 million. That is what happens when you put infrastructure behind a market that has never had any. Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy. Martin Hunt , co-founder and CEO of Garage , built what did not exist. He started fighting fires at 15, served 6 years as a Firefighter/EMT, then walked away from Goldman Sachs when a buddy called from the fire service with a problem nobody had solved. In this episode, Kevin sits down with Martin to walk through how the platform works, what it takes to earn trust from risk-averse public sector buyers, and why used apparatus deserves to be taken seriously as a procurement strategy. Topics covered: - The origin story: a buddy's call and a marketplace that didn't exist - How Garage solved the two-sided marketplace problem - Navigating bureaucracy and de-risking for public sector buyers - Freight solved: instant quotes, price lock, and Garage owns the risk - Trust infrastructure: verified organizations, payments, and virtual inspections - AI-powered appraisals: the Kelley Blue Book for fire trucks - Extended warranties and third-party inspections - Why nobody built this before 2023 - The case for buying used: cost, availability, and 1,500-day delivery quotes on new apparatus - Beyond fire trucks: ambulances, EMS equipment, and more - Servant leadership and the Drum Major Instinct as company culture So take a listen to hear what he has to share. Head to www.smartfirefighting.com to discover how SFF accelerates innovation for emergency responders, to find out when our next event is, or review our curated resources. Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn
Mentioned
topics
- secondary market for fire apparatus
- procurement strategy for used apparatus
- public sector buyers
- fire truck appraisals
- delivery times for new apparatus