Many fire departments and EMS organizations today find themselves faced with shrinking budgets while their needs for new emergency vehicles continue to be a major concern. As more departments are faced with this dilemma, Bulldog Fire offers lease purchase financing as a great option to help get those new emergency vehicles where they are needed most. With lease purchase financing you do not need to make budgetary compromises to get the vehicles you need now. Tax-exempt leasing is a specialty, so it is important to choose an institution who has experience and knowledge regarding the laws that pertain to it. Bulldog Fire works with multiple financing partners that have experience in tax exempt municipal leasing to make sure you are getting the best deal possible for your department!
We can help you obtain:
Fire Apparatus (new & used) • Ambulances • Rescue Trucks • Brush Trucks • Chief Vehicles
Choosing between keeping your firefighters safe and replacing your apparatus is not something any department should have to face. Let Bulldog Fire Apparatus help you acquire the vehicles you need now while saving money in the long run!
The Benefits of Lease Financing for Your Emergency Vehicles
There are a lot of benefits of a lease financing program. Some of those advantages include:
- Low interest rates. Interest rates are very low right now and will likely rise in the near future. In the past few years, inflation costs of new emergency vehicles have been outpacing interest rates. For example, the price of a typical pumper has been increasing about 4 to 5 percent per year and interest rates for a tax-exempt lease purchase agreements are under 4 percent.
- Having the ability to pay the loan off early. If your department does acquire additional money to use in the future, you have the ability to pay the loan off early without penalty.
- Spreading the cost over the useful life of the emergency vehicle. Lease financing is not like a regular lease. You get to keep your vehicle at the end of your lease term, so spreading out the cost evenly throughout the life of your fire truck or ambulance helps get your the equipment you need now while having a lower payment you can easily budget for in the years to come.
- Replacing high-maintenance older fire trucks or other emergency vehicles. If you have older fire trucks or ambulances that need to be retired, keeping them in service longer is probably costing you considerably in maintenance and repair fees. Use that money toward a lease finance option to get the latest and safest equipment for your crew and community.
- Delaying the first payment until the next fiscal year. A great option right now to get you the vehicles your community needs is delaying your first payment. This is a great choice for organizations with a current tight budget. Delaying your first payments can be just what is needed until you can adjust your budget to accommodate your future lease payments.
- Leases are flexible and can be structured to meet your needs. If you have some of the cash available, you can take advantage of down payments and reduce the initial cost. You can also select the number of years on your lease finance to best suit your department’s budgetary needs.
- Leaving cash available for other needs in the community. By spreading out costs over many years, it leaves your budget more fluid to look into other areas that might be in need of financial attention.
Leasing can be a valuable tool to help obtain new emergency vehicles in an affordable manner by spreading the cost over the useful life of the truck. If you have questions about a lease, please let us know and we can provide a lease proposal for review. Or check out our handy leasing calculator to get an idea of the cost for your department!
