SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted on Wednesday to explore legal options challenging what they say is a corporate monopoly over firetrucks and other firefighting equipment.
Acting Chair Terra Lawson-Remer introduced the item, saying that the cost to acquire firetrucks and equipment has increased substantially, along with the time it takes to deliver the engines.
“What’s happened is that a handful of corporations, basically led by a few private equity firms, have gobbled up all of the companies and have consolidated the market,” Lawson-Remer said, “So now we have just a few companies dominating the supply chain for firefighting equipment.”
She said that fire agencies around the county, especially in rural areas with high wildfire risk, are waiting years for fire engines that used to be delivered in 12-14 months. This means firefighters are using outdated rigs that are becoming harder and more costly to repair, jeopardizing the safety of firefighters and residents.
“It’s a crisis that’s not coming from wildfires but from a supply chain that’s been taken over by corporate consolidation and greed,” Lawson-Remer said. “And has unfortunately led to major, major delays, major bottlenecks, and dramatically increasing prices.”
A press release from Lawson-Remer’s office says local fire departments are waiting years for trucks that have doubled in cost from $650,000 to $1.3 million.
Firefighter Derek Wixon with CalFire, who said he was stationed in Harbinson Canyon in East San Diego County, called into the meeting to express his support for the motion.
“We're seeing massive delays in obtaining new fire engines,” Wixon said. “We're driving around fire engines that are older than me. They're faulty; they're having issues. They pose a safety risk to our firefighters. They pose a safety risk to the public because of our delays in getting to them, and the greater potential for breakdown.”
The board voted 3-0 to support the motion, which directs the County Counsel to “explore antitrust litigation, aggressive legal strategies, and national advocacy partnerships to challenge corporate consolidation in the fire apparatus supply chain,” the press release said.
It’s unclear at this time what litigation that may be or what companies could be targeted, but the board referenced the county’s successful efforts to sue ghost gun manufacturers and opioid manufacturers in the past.
The press release referenced a February New York Times investigation that revealed the nationwide fire engine manufacturing monopoly and how it impacted the response to January's wildfires in Los Angeles.
That report claims dozens of rigs that could have carried extra personnel to the fires were out of service, with their departments still waiting for replacements.
The Board’s motion also directs counsel to “engage with statewide and national partners such as the California Fire Service Leadership Alliance” and report back every 90 days.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors streams its meetings live online, and past meetings can be viewed on the board's YouTube page.
