Hearing Highlights Fire Apparatus Cost and Delivery Crisis  

When lives are on the line, no one should be forced to rely on outdated equipment simply because better options are locked behind a closed marketplace. 

Unfortunately, that is exactly what’s happening across California, as fire departments endure years-long waits for new fire trucks while costs reach unprecedented heights. As communities face increasingly frequent wildfires, floods, and other catastrophes, local leaders warn that aging fleets, delayed deliveries, and a shrinking manufacturing market are impairing emergency response times and community safety efforts.

Those concerns took center stage on Monday, June 22, when the Assembly Emergency Management Committee held an informational hearing on fire apparatus costs. Fire chiefs across the state testified about the exorbitant prices of fire engines, lengthy delays in equipment deliveries, and anti-competitive market practices, while underscoring the threat these factors pose to California communities.  

“Fire departments across our state cannot get the equipment they need and the costs of what they’re getting them at is beginning to soar,” said Committee Chair Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom.

The committee hosted two panel discussions during the hearing, the first of which featured the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) State Fire and Rescue Chief Brian Marshall and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal FIRE) Deputy Director of Fire Protection Programs Chief Jake Sjolund. Both speakers discussed the lengthy contractual fulfilment periods and the very limited vendor options for procuring fire engines, with only three contractors taking up nearly 80% of the market. 

The second panel showcased the local perspective, featuring Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Garrett Huff, Los Angeles County Chief Deputy of Emergency Operations Jon O’Brien, City of Napa Fire Chief Zach Curren, and Fullerton Fire Department Chief Adam Loeser. The fire chiefs highlighted how counties and cities are facing similar procurement delays and the extraordinary budgetary strain that the increasing costs of fire apparatuses are posing on local budgets. 

In February, Los Angeles County filed an antitrust lawsuit against several fire apparatus companies, alleging anticompetitive conduct and seeking to unwind mergers that consolidated the industry.  

The local fire chiefs also shared very real examples of the impacts of fire apparatus industry consolidation as well as the challenges created by fire apparatus industry consolidation.  

Chief Huff shared how a fire engine purchased in 2007 cost approximately $336,000 and was delivered in about a year. Today, similar apparatus can cost more than $1 million, while departments routinely wait four to five years for delivery.  

“In Santa Barbara County, the industry consolidation was not an abstract market change. It resulted in the closure of the manufacturing facility that forced us to change our whole deployment and apparatus strategy,” Chief Huff said. 

Fire trucks are not a luxury commodity, and it is time to stop treating them as such. California deserves access to essential public safety equipment that will allow our firefighters to serve our communities as effectively as possible.  

“Every additional dollar spent on inflated apparatus prices is a dollar diverted from other critical public services, from community risk reduction programs to emergency medical services,” said Chief O’Brien.