REGION — San Diego County filed a federal lawsuit today against a handful of companies it alleges took over the market for fire trucks, leading to higher prices and slower rollouts of trucks to replace the county’s aging fleet.
The county’s complaint alleges that the defendants acquired several smaller fire truck manufacturers and have essentially eliminated competition for the vehicles and their parts.
County leaders say this has led to trucks costing more than double what they used to and taking around one to four years to be delivered.
Among the companies named as defendants is private equity firm American Industrial Partners, which allegedly consolidated multiple manufacturers into a single entity known as REV Group. Another manufacturer, Oshkosh Corporation, has allegedly taken steps to ensure its subsidiary Pierce Manufacturing controls the market for chassis and replacement parts, allowing the company to charge high prices for its proprietary parts.
“Firefighters don’t have a choice — when a truck breaks down, they need a new one. For years, fire departments have been paying more and waiting longer,” San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer said in a statement.
“San Diego County is going after a handful of greedy companies that turned fire trucks into profit cash cows while our communities were left waiting and vulnerable to fire risk. We’re taking those companies to court to stop the greed that’s endangering lives and get our money back.”
According to the county, its fire department serves 42 communities and operates around 75 trucks, some of which are “well past their recommended service life.”
Cal Fire San Diego Unit Chief Tony Mecham said it is “critical for our firefighters to be prepared and have the equipment needed to protect residents and quickly contain wildfires.”
“We’ve seen the devastation wildfires can cause in our communities,” Mecham said. “Increased costs and long wait times for equipment should not impact our ability to keep people safe.”
