San Diego County filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against a handful of companies it alleges took over the market for fire trucks, leading to higher prices and slower rollouts to replace an aging fleet.
The county’s complaint alleges the defendants acquired a number of 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 are private equity firm American Industrial Partners, which allegedly consolidated multiple manufacturers into one 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,” said San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer in a statement. “For years, fire departments have been paying more and waiting longer.”
She called the lawsuit part of a county strategy to go “after a handful of greedy companies that turned fire trucks into profit cash cows.”
“We’re taking those companies to court to stop the greed that’s endangering lives and get our money back,” Lawson-Remer said.
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’s “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. Increased costs and long wait times for equipment should not impact our ability to keep people safe.”
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