EXCLUSIVE: Firefighters sound alarm over million-dollar fire trucks, years-long delivery delays

Fire departments across the country are paying sharply higher prices for new fire trucks while waiting years for delivery, prompting growing scrutiny of consolidation in the fire apparatus industry.

In a letter obtained by the Washington Reporter, the International Association of Fire Fighters and the American Economic Liberties Project urged Attorney General Pam Bondi, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, and Justice Department antitrust chief Gail Slater to investigate whether industry consolidation is contributing to higher prices and longer wait times.

The letter calls on the Justice Department and FTC to investigate consolidation among fire and emergency vehicle manufacturers and the broader market for emergency vehicles, parts and services.

The groups pointed to three major manufacturers, REV Group, Oshkosh and Rosenbauer, which they said collectively controlled roughly two-thirds of the national market at the time.

The consequences for local fire departments can be significant.

The cost of some pumper trucks has reached roughly $1 million, while ladder trucks can exceed $2 million, according to figures cited in the letter. Delivery times in some areas have stretched to four years or longer.

Those concerns have since gained bipartisan attention on Capitol Hill.

Sens. Jim Banks (R., Ind.) and Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), along with Reps. Ben Cline (R., Va.) and Becca Balint (D., Vt.), introduced a bipartisan resolution in July directing the FTC to investigate consolidation and potential anticompetitive practices in the fire truck industry.

“Anticompetitive practices are strong-arming our cities, wasting taxpayer dollars, and leaving fire fighters without life-saving equipment,” Banks said in announcing the measure.

The IAFF backed the effort, arguing that prices for some fire trucks have roughly doubled over the past decade while delivery times have increased substantially.

“Fire fighters need dependable equipment to do our jobs and protect our communities,” IAFF General President Edward Kelly said. “Market consolidation is forcing fire departments to pay more and wait longer for essential apparatus, and it’s the public and our members who suffer.”

The issue has also moved into federal court.

A growing number of cities and other plaintiffs have filed antitrust lawsuits against major fire truck manufacturers, including Oshkosh, REV Group and Rosenbauer. The lawsuits allege that manufacturers conspired to restrict production and inflate prices.

The allegations have not been proven, and the manufacturers are fighting the lawsuits.

A federal judicial panel consolidated the cases in April, finding that they raised common factual questions about whether the manufacturers restrained production, exchanged competitively sensitive information or otherwise used market power to increase fire truck prices.

The manufacturers have denied wrongdoing and have attributed production challenges in part to pandemic-era supply chain disruptions and labor shortages, according to the IAFF. In August, defendants in the consolidated litigation moved to dismiss the claims against them.

Meanwhile, fire departments continue to contend with expensive equipment and long replacement cycles.

The letter obtained by the Reporter points to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where officials expected a new fire truck to cost $2.4 million and take four years to arrive. In Evanston, Illinois, officials agreed to purchase a $2.3 million demonstration vehicle in an effort to accelerate replacement of an aging reserve truck.

The groups are asking federal regulators to determine whether those price increases and delays are simply the result of manufacturing constraints or have been exacerbated by a lack of competition.