What they’re saying: Senators, IAFF press apparatus manufacturers over delays and costs

Lawmakers demanded answers from America’s largest fire apparatus manufacturers during a Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill last week. 

At the hearing, titled “Sounding the Alarm: America’s Fire Apparatus Crisis,” Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) chastised manufacturers, calling on them to reverse their outrageous price increases and painfully long delays for new fire engines and ladder trucks.   

“Before, a new fire engine order took between six months and a year, standard, to get delivered. Today, those orders take two years on the low end, and four years on the high end,” said Hawley, who chairs the subcommittee.  

Representatives from both REV Group and Pierce Manufacturing testified before the committee, defending anti-competitive practices that fire fighters say have threatened public safety across the country.  

Lawmakers from both parties weren’t convinced by their explanations.  

“Your profits have grown five times over the last five years to $250 million, but nobody can get their equipment,” said Hawley.  

Kim, the top Democrat on the committee, also expressed concern.  

“The question is, are we providing our fire fighters everything that they need to be successful? The answer is no,” he said.   

Warren, invited to participate by Hawley, sharply criticized the manufacturers.  

“In 2013, a pumper truck cost $500,000, today it costs a million dollars. In 2013, a ladder truck cost $900,000, today it costs $2 million. In 2019, the lead time for a fire truck delivery was one year, today, it’s up to three and a half years,” she said.  

“I just want to underscore this again: we are talking about three companies that control 80% of all manufacturing.” 

General President Edward Kelly outlined the severe consequences of the ongoing apparatus crisis and the danger it poses to fire fighters and the communities they protect.  

When Warren asked how private equity roll-ups impact fire fighters, Kelly pointed to an example from fellow witness Dennis Rubin, Chief of the Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department.  

“Chief Rubin testified earlier, in his city, they had to put – because they did not have enough apparatus on hand to staff the firehouses – they were putting fire fighters out basically on pickup trucks like painting crews with ground ladders. Now, if you’re trapped on the third or fourth floor, you’re jumping,” said Kelly.  

“That is not how emergency response is designed in this country.” 

With senators agreeing on the dangers of this crisis nationwide, attention turned to solutions.  

Kelly, echoing the IAFF’s recent letter to the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission, called for a federal review of the companies’ practices.  

“Not only do we need to do better – we need to investigate how we got here, and that’s why, in the wake of your letter, the IAFF has actually written to the Department of Justice and the FTC to investigate this.” 

Warren asked manufacturers whether they’d welcome an FTC study into their companies. While both REV Group’s Mike Virnig and Pierce’s Dan Meyers said they are fully cooperating with the FTC, neither committed to an official study.  

“Why is it so hard for 60% of the industry, who is so sure you’re doing a good job, just to stand up and say, ‘Sure, come and study us. We got nothing to hide.’ Or did I get that wrong, maybe you’ve got something to hide,” Warren said.  

Hawley closed the hearing by urging manufacturers to reverse the damage and start delivering for their customers.  

“You don’t have to wait for prosecution, or for a study, or for anything else to do the right thing,” he said.  

“In the meantime, I hope that we’ll see some action on the part of this body and the FTC and anybody else who has a piece of it to make sure that this industry begins to function again for the people of this country and the fire fighters who keep it safe.”