First-in Fire Company for sale

The husband-wife business brings fire trucks to kids' birthdays and other gatherings. They hope to sell it so they can spend more time with their family.

Posted 12:02 a.m. Oct 30, 2014 — Updated 12:02 a.m. Oct 30, 2014

Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

First-In Fire Company, the Raleigh-based birthday party company that brings a fire truck to kids' birthday parties and other gatherings, is up for sale.

Crissy Jeckel, who owns the business with her husband Dwight, said they both are holding down busy full-time jobs and need more time for their family, which includes three kids.

"There are so many opportunities that I cannot explore with the time we have," Jeckel tells me in an email.

About three years ago, I learned about First-In Fire Company when I went to the Jeckel's north Raleigh home to learn more about Crissy's business helping others sell items on eBay. When I got there, I noticed the giant fire truck in her front yard and asked her about it. It was her husband's truck, she told me.

Dwight Jeckel, a full-time corporate pilot and a lieutenant at Wake New Hope Fire Department, has had a life-long interest in fire trucks and firefighting. He starting serving as a volunteer firefighter in college. He had been looking around for a fire truck to buy and found his first one while on vacation a few years ago.

The business now owns two: a pumper truck and a ladder truck. They've been regulars at Go Ask Mom's events at North Hills and always are incredibly popular.

First-In Fire's Facebook page has all the details about what's for sale, including the trucks, insurance policy, website and more. There are bookings through January.

Crissy said they hope to find a buyer who has the time and energy to take it over and build it into something even bigger.

"If we don't find a suitable buyer, we won't sell until we do," she tells me.

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