As I write this article, we are just in the first quarter of 2025. And for those of us who design, spec, and purchase fire apparatus, not much has changed in that world—fire truck costs are still rising to dollar amounts that no city, town, county, or municipality could possibly fathom. And to top it all off, you can expect to wait three to four years for that rig until it is complete and in your fire station.
It is pretty easy to say that long-range plans for purchases and budgets are null and void. And, we all must work off this new reality that has been forced on us by various outside influences.
THE PURCHASE
Preparing yourself; your department; and, most importantly, your financial people and your community for the sticker shock is a top priority. Regardless of the rig you buy to fit your geographic area and response needs, the cost of that rig is not what our forefathers are accustomed to. So, understanding the cost burden on your community and city or town needs to be based on your operational needs. The times of fluff and extravagance now will be eaten up with the costs of every part and component on the new rig.
Each component you choose should be well thought out, satisfy a need for your operation, and be mechanically sound for the in-service time of the apparatus. Proper budgeting for these costs, understanding your fleet’s life expectancy, and getting ahead of the delivery times are now considerations that are paramount to service delivery.
You need to understand manufacturers’ price increases—not just when you purchase the apparatus but also over the time it takes to deliver the rig. Understanding the manufacturers’ change order policies and the costs associated with those changes over the three- to four-year delivery time is an important process to grasp, understand, and use to maximize your dollar and your apparatus.
There are many of us in the fire truck buying world who have a standard rig that we buy based on our years of understanding the operational culture in our departments. So, many of the options, components, and pieces require us to still purchase a customized rig. There are many programs and stock units that might fit your department’s needs and that could lower the price and reduce the delivery time.
SAFETY
There are many safety features (photo 1) on today’s apparatus along with a number of options that can be added to provide safety for crews riding the rigs from the dangers and perils associated with operating on the streets, highways, and county lanes that we respond on every day.
1 Photos by author.
Collecting data on the apparatus, understanding driving habits, and looking at the ride quality of our rigs all need to be a part of how we buy better apparatus, train our drivers and firefighters, and help avoid costly and deadly accidents.
ENGINEERING AND FINAL INSPECTIONS
When we finally get to engineering conferences with the manufacturers (photo 2), we are getting close to actually seeing the progress of bending metal and welding our new rides. As a department, you must keep up on any changes that need to be made from the years before the engineering conference. Any new parts, components, or options should have been discussed and incorporated into your build.
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The engineering conference used to be where you made all these changes and designs to get the final product through to the builder and start construction. In my experience with more than just one manufacturer, any delays now at engineering could push your final delivery time out even further or, even worse, force you to start the process over, putting your production slot and time back in a long queue of builds behind you. That is something you don’t want and can’t afford in today’s world.
Be in constant contact with your salesperson and your builder, even when you cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel for your new rig. Always discuss your purchase in the firehouse and ensure you are getting the right rig for three to four years into the future.
The final inspection (photo 3) is the culmination of all your hard work. The team your department assembles should be well educated and prepared to actually work when it gets to the manufacturer. This is not a time to enjoy time away from the home and family, but rather to work and ensure your new apparatus meets all your specifications mechanically and operationally. Appreciate your long-worded specification and use it to ensure the apparatus you designed and specified years ago is exactly the way you want it and works the way you need it to.
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The money you are paying for these rigs today makes you demand excellence from our chosen builder. With that being said, your rig will probably not be perfect when you get there. There will be issues, there will be misunderstandings, and you might even get mad. But, you have to be honest with yourself and understand the buyer’s potential responsibility for any of the issues. Were you clear with what you wanted? Did you constantly communicate your needs and expectations? Do you have a good relationship with your salesperson? If you treat the salesperson and the manufacturer as an adversary, the inspection process and your rig will suffer. Build these relationships, fully explain your expectations, and make sure your salesperson understands you and has relayed your expectations to your builder.
Regardless of who is building the rig for you, the people who are bolting, welding, and putting your rig together are craftspeople and deserve your respect. So, if you do not understand your builder’s product, process, and how it puts your rig together, that is on you as the buyer. Do your homework, manage expectations, and treat builders with respect and honesty as you would expect them to do the same toward you. Work with your chosen builders, not against them.
OPTIONS, OPTIONS, OPTIONS
There are thousands of options that can be put on apparatus. These options range from mechanical choices to make the rig operate and lower out-of-service times to choices recognizing that not all firefighters are the same height, weight, and strengths. You need to design the new rig ergonomically to meet the needs of all the firefighters who may ride it and choose options and designs that can reduce injuries that occur in or around the apparatus. Operational options that serve firefighters as they respond and operate on fires and emergencies include low hosebeds, low crosslays if you use them, an accessible and abundant cache of ground ladders, (photo 4) and water tank sizes and designs, to name a few.
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Firefighters across the country are an unlimited source of ideas and designs to make their jobs easier and more efficient. At least look at these ideas. They all may not work for you and your operation, but it does not hurt to look and be open-minded to options from outside your geographic area. Get out of your bubble and maybe you will find the option that will make a huge impact on your next rig. Be open-minded but never lose sight of what works in your area and your operational tempo.
RICKY RILEY is the president of Traditions Training, LLC. He previously served as the operations chief for Clearwater (FL) Fire & Rescue and as a firefighter for Fairfax County (VA) Fire & Rescue. He also is a firefighter with the Kentland (MD) Volunteer Fire Department and a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Editorial Advisory Board.
Ricky Riley will present “Building Apparatus to Do Work 2025” at FDIC International in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, 10:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
