Latest news with #firetrucks
The Independent
5 days ago
- General
- The Independent
South Korean navy patrol plane crashes in country's south
A South Korean navy plane carrying four people crashed during a training flight on Thursday and it was not immediately known if there were casualties, the navy said. The patrol plane left its base in the southeastern city of Pohang at 1:43 p.m. but fell to the ground due to unknown reasons, the navy said in a statement. The navy is working to determine the status of the four people aboard the plane and why it crashed, the statement said. An emergency office in Pohang said that rescue workers and fire trucks were dispatched to the site after receiving reports from local residents that an unidentified flying object fell and there was an explosion. Pohang's Nambu police station said the crash involved a navy patrol aircraft but it couldn't immediately confirm whether there were any deaths or injuries.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Photos: Memorial Day celebration in Cressona
A parade rolled through Cressona for Memorial Day Monday morning. After some music, candy tossing and the fire trucks passed by, a ceremony was held outside the American Legion building.
CBC
22-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Crews battle apartment fire in Prince George
Multiple fire trucks turned out to battle an apartment fire that broke out in Prince George, B.C., at about 6 a.m. Thursday morning.
CBS News
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
Nationwide fire truck shortage impacting Mass. departments. IAFF asks for investigation.
The Quincy Fire Department secured funding for new fire trucks in 2022, but now three years later they still don't have them. Manufacturing delays are forcing them to buy used trucks from other cities. Now, the International Association of Firefighters is asking the U.S. government to step in and investigate the companies who build the vehicles. "We are waiting on an engine and a ladder right now, and it has been three and a half years," said Quincy Fire Chief Joe Jackson. "The build times to actually get these trucks built has quadrupled. It's a huge problem being able to plan. Some of these trucks that I'm ordering now, are likely to be received by another fire chief, and I think about that, and it's so weird." Constant maintenance on old trucks The fire department has some trucks in service that are more than 20-years-old. They are only able to keep them in service because they have two maintenance workers who constantly work on them. This is only made possible because car dealer Dan Quirk donated the department a large maintenance space on his property. Without the space, Chief Jackson says they wouldn't be able to keep this going. "Most communities have to send their apparatus to the dealership to be worked on," explains Chief Jackson. "If one of these old trucks needs a radiator that's $10,000. That's ten-grand on a 30-year-old truck, and you have no choice." "This is a 2003, so we are looking at 25-years-old right now," said maintenance worker Kevin Mellor, pointing to a truck he's working on. "After a certain time, to be compliant with the NFPA standards, after 20 years the truck should go into a reserve." Increased cost of fire trucks The department bought one of their trucks 10 years ago for $900,000. Their latest ones cost $2 million with a potential 4-year wait time to get. "Prior to COVID, it was 10 months for an engine, 12 months with a ladder," explained Chief Jackson. The chief says there are only a few major companies that manufacture fire trucks. He says those companies tell him the delays are due to global supply issues, increased costs, and a struggle to find workers at the factories. The International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) says the lack of competition in the fire truck marketplace has led to billions of dollars in backlogged trucks from around the globe. "We contacted the Department of Justice and the FTC to investigate this, and to make sure that what is happening can either be halted or mitigated," said Jay Colbert with IAFF. Spike in demand, labor shortage Chief Jackson and Colbert say there are three large companies who manufacture the majority of the trucks. WBZ reached out to all three, with one of them, the REV Group, getting back to us about the delays. They gave WBZ this statement. "An unprecedented spike in demand and ongoing skilled labor shortages have contributed to increased costs and delivery times across the industry," said a spokesperson for the REV Group, "We take our responsibility to deliver for America's first responders seriously and have increased our fire and emergency vehicle production by nearly 30% in the last two years, and developed new lines of semi-custom trucks that deliver in under a year." The company says they also do not use dynamic or floating pricing. Once they agree on a price with a fire department, they stick to that price even if the costs to build increase before it's built. REV Group says data from the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers Association shows that fire truck demand from 2011-2020 increased by 43% from 2021 to 2023.
Reuters
13-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
As fire truck prices hit $2 million, US firefighters demand an antitrust probe
May 13 (Reuters) - The largest firefighters' labor union in the U.S. is demanding antitrust authorities investigate the companies that make fire trucks, saying industry consolidation has led to skyrocketing costs and years-long wait times, endangering fire fighters and the public. The U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission should probe the fire and emergency vehicle industry, where three companies — REV Group (REVG.N), opens new tab, Oshkosh (OSK.N), opens new tab, and Rosenbauer ( opens new tab — together make up around two-thirds of the market, the International Association of Fire Fighters said in a letter, opens new tab. Truck prices have doubled in the past decade, with ladder trucks now costing as much as $2 million each, while fire departments are facing backlogs as long as four years, said IAFF, which represents fire and emergency workers in the U.S. and Canada, and American Economic Liberties Project, an antimonopoly group. "It's really a critical hazard in public safety," IAFF President Edward Kelly told Reuters. Oshkosh spokesperson Lisa Barwick said the company is investing in manufacturing capacity, technology, and process improvements to meet demand. "Global supply challenges, unprecedented demand, and significant inflation since the pandemic started in 2020 have resulted in extended delivery times and increased prices," she said. A REV Group spokesperson also cited demand, labor shortages and cost increases as driving price increases and delays. "In response, we have increased production of our fire and emergency vehicles by nearly 30% in the last two years, introduced new lines of semi-custom trucks with faster ship times, and continued to invest in training programs for skilled talent," the spokesperson said. Rosenbauer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. IAFF and AELP said high prices and long waits are endangering public safety in communities facing natural disasters, citing reports that dozens of fire trucks were out of commission during the wildfires that devastated two Los Angeles communities and killed at least 29 people earlier this year. From Atlanta, to Houston, to San Francisco, cities and towns are facing a crisis where demand for new fire trucks outstrips availability and funding, Kelly said. On top of long wait times, fire departments are being pushed into contracts with "floating" pricing structures, where the final price of a truck may go up after an order is placed. "We are paying the price for all these corporate decisions. It serves the investor well, but it doesn't serve the public when you call 911 and the ladder truck is out of service," Kelly said. The DOJ or FTC should use their authority to investigate the industry, and the FTC should launch a study of how consolidation is affecting fire departments' access to a broader range of parts and services, they said. Fire departments are seeing the effects of consolidation on everything from dispatch software to personal protective equipment and vehicle parts, Kelly said.
