IAFF backs bipartisan push for FTC investigation of fire truck industry

Following more than a year of IAFF advocacy, a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers has introduced a joint resolution directing the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate and report on potential anticompetitive practices in the highly consolidated fire truck manufacturing industry.

The IAFF and the American Economic Liberties Project have endorsed the resolution as fire departments across North America confront soaring apparatus prices, years-long delivery delays, and aging fleets that are increasingly costly to maintain and unreliable in an emergency.

“Fire fighters need dependable equipment to do our jobs and protect our communities,” 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.”

“Private equity is making it harder for fire departments to keep the public safe,” he said. “The FTC needs to make sure it does not continue.”

The lawmakers point to two decades of consolidation as the primary driver of the crisis. Three manufacturers now control over 70% of the U.S. market.

Between 2013 and 2023, the price of a pumper truck nearly doubled, from about $500,000 to nearly $1 million, while ladder truck prices rose from roughly $900,000 to nearly $2 million. Delivery times have grown from between one and two years to as long as 4.5 years, forcing departments to keep outdated apparatus in service.

Lawmakers also say fire apparatus prices have far outpaced inflation in heavy-duty truck manufacturing. Some manufacturers have used “floating prices,” driving up the final cost of a truck after it enters production.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Jim Banks (R-IN) and Reps. Becca Balint (D-VT) and Ben Cline (R-VA) introduced the resolution, which calls on the FTC to report to Congress within one year on potential anticompetitive practices, their financial and operational effects on fire departments and municipalities, and possible legislative or regulatory remedies.

The resolution also requires the FTC to notify Congress if companies fail to cooperate with the investigation.

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

“When giant corporations and Wall Street investors buy up all the fire truck manufacturers, it’s a threat to public safety,” Warren said.

The resolution follows a bipartisan investigation that Warren and Banks launched in April 2025 into the effects of private equity roll-ups of fire truck manufacturing industry.

It also comes as cities and towns across the United States pursue lawsuits alleging antitrust violations by several apparatus manufacturers and their trade association. Most of the cases have been consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. The lawsuits allege manufacturers conspired to inflate prices, intentionally delay deliveries, and cause other financial harm.

Learn more about the fire truck crisis and the IAFF’s work to hold manufacturers accountable.