Local fire departments blame private equity for rising equipment costs

When the Pointe Fire burned done the hills of Santa Clarita connected July 15th, it dangerously encroached connected homes, a schoolhouse autobus gait and a synagogue, Congregation Beth Shalom.

Flames from the blaze burned close up to the playground of the synagogue's preschool, Rabbi Jay Siegel recalled.

"It was beauteous interaction and go," helium said. "It was rather frightening."

Congregation Beth Shalom is simply a fewer miles from Fire Station 150, which houses a occurrence motor with much than 233,000 miles connected its odometer.  

According to Los Angeles County Fire Captain Aaron Katon, manufacture standards dictate that a occurrence motor is expected to beryllium connected the frontline for 15 years, past 10 years successful a reserve fleet. 

Engine 150, however, is 20 years aged and inactive connected the frontline. 

"Much of our fleet, the largest portion, our rigs that day backmost to 2006, 2007," Katon said.

CBS California Investigates has followed this occupation since the Palisades Fire successful January 2025. A CBS LA drone flew implicit an LA City Fire attraction yard, besides known arsenic the boneyard, wherever dozens of occurrence engines and trucks were parked for repairs. 

It's not conscionable an LA issue. Katon says departments everyplace look the aforesaid problem.

Fullerton is besides sounding the alarm. Fire Chief Adam Loeser says the prices of life-saving instrumentality person skyrocketed. 

He showed CBS California Investigates a 2022 occurrence motortruck the section purchased for $1.5 million. To acquisition it marque caller today, it would outgo astir $2.3 to 2.5 cardinal — much than a 50% jump.

In Pasadena, Fire Chief Chad Augustine says each section astir the state is feeling the pain. 

"We're getting priced retired of the market," Augustine said. "And the different interaction is the information to our community." 

On apical of the rising costs, helium says they were precocious quoted a physique clip of 45 months.

That's wherefore Fullerton, the County of Los Angeles and the State of California person filed national antitrust lawsuits against respective manufacturers of occurrence apparatus, including those owned by the REV Group, for what the plaintiffs telephone a "consolidation scheme." 

"Private equity has played a pivotal relation successful this demolition of competition," the ailment says.

On its website, the REV Group lists astir a twelve occurrence apparatus and exigency conveyance brands nether its umbrella. CBS California Investigates reached retired to the institution for comment, but a spokesperson declined a petition for an interview.

During a Senate proceeding past fall, the company's president, Mike Virnig, told lawmakers steps are being taken to bring down the physique times to astir a year. 

"We've continued to prosecute hundreds of, if not thousands, of skilled laborers, which is 1 of the biggest problems we have," Virnig said. "We've invested millions of dollars successful each factory."

A fig of Fire Chiefs told CBS California Investigates that precocious request created proviso shortages and accrued national spending during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the Senate hearing, Dan Meyer, a Vice President of Pierce Manufacturing, was asked astir allegations of collusion among the makers of occurrence apparatus. 

"There is simply a suit enactment against Pierce Manufacturing," helium said. "We judge it's without merit."

In August, a associated question was filed connected behalf of the REV Group, Oshkosh, its subsidiary Pierce and Rosenbauer to disregard the antitrust people action. A spokesperson for Pierce and Oshkosh says the determination underscores "the deficiency of factual enactment for these claims."

In May, a information camera captured LA City Fire Engine 274 successful a rollover crash.  One contented being considered successful the probe into the incidental is whether property was a factor. The section told CBS California Investigates that the 19-year-old apparatus wasn't equipped with airbags oregon rollover protection. Two firefighters suffered injuries.

Chief Loeser said modern apparatus are equipped with airbags and different information features. New backup cameras are particularly adjuvant erstwhile occurrence crews are backing retired of choky canyons, firefighters claim. 

"[Backup cameras and airbags are] required connected each idiosyncratic vehicles," Loeser said. "So erstwhile we person our firefighters responding to an exigency and they're going with lights and sirens, they request to beryllium conscionable arsenic protected."

At the La Verne Fire Department, an motor was delivered successful 2024, 3 years aft it was ordered. 

"We get it connected the road, and wrong respective weeks the diesel centrifugal had efficaciously completely, catastrophically blown up," said Chris Nigg, who was occurrence main astatine the time. "It had to beryllium rebuilt, torn down entirely, and past it took upwards of six positive months to get that done arsenic well."

He said helium understands apparatus manufacturers request to crook a profit. But their prices haven't plateaued - similar different industries, Nigg said. 

Nigg is presently the Fire Chief successful Fountain Valley, which is portion of a people enactment against the apparatus makers.

In Santa Clarita, Engine 150 is inactive connected the frontline due to the fact that the 20-year apparatus is newer than the 1 it replaced earlier this year.

That 1 had been successful work since 1998. It's an illustration of wherefore occurrence departments accidental readying is tough, due to the fact that apparatus availability volition alteration connected a regular ground due to the fact that of exigency and regular maintenance.

Rabbi Siegel says occurrence crews successfully protected lives and spot during the Pointe Fire, but helium believes an effectual enactment of defence should beryllium well-rounded.

"It mightiness beryllium a metaphor, but this is simply a good enactment betwixt information and destruction," Siegel said. "Just 1 inch, right, 1 inch, 1 gust of wind, and it's a antithetic story."

In July, a radical of lawmakers filed a bipartisan solution to nonstop the Federal Trade Commission to analyse consolidation by backstage equity firms and ample companies successful the industry.  The LA City Fire Department declined a petition for an interrogation due to the fact that the metropolis has filed its ain lawsuit.