LAKEWOOD, OH — Firefighters are there for us when we need them most. But right now, they’re facing some challenges when it comes to getting the things they need most.
News 5's Katie Ussin spoke with Lakewood Fire Marshal Ryan Fairbanks about how the supply chain delays we’ve all been dealing with for so long, are impacting firefighters. He said he first realized the gravity of the situation when he called a manufacturer to order a new ambulance this year. They said it wouldn’t be delivered this year or even next year.
“It’s a lot of the raw materials and the parts for the manufacturers that build the vehicles. So, we were told with the ambulance that they could build the back section in a matter of months, and they would be waiting for Ford or Chevy for a year to actually build the bottom part and the actual truck part,” Fairbanks said.
The delays are affecting parts needed to repair ambulances and fire trucks, along with new vehicles and turnout gear. Fairbanks said parts that used to be overnighted now take months to ship. New trucks take two to three years instead of one. And prices are soaring too, as much as 20-50%. Pre-pandemic, a ladder truck cost just under $1 million. Now, according to Fairbanks, one is upwards of $1.5 million.
“We are working with our finance department and our city administrators to find creative ways to offset that,” he said. “So, if we need to push something back a year just to make sure we have the funds to cover it that’s what we’re doing. But we also realize that some of our equipment has expiration dates or has a life cycle that it’s only useful for and we have to be mindful of those as well.”
Fairbanks told News 5 that none of this has impacted firefighter safety or their ability to serve the city of Lakewood. But that’s not always the case. In Brunswick the fire department was given a two-year wait time for a critical new part for their medical transport. Chief Greg Glauner said it cost them $25,000 in repairs to keep the old truck on the roads. Until one night, it reached the end of the line.
“It broke down on the interstate while a patient was being transported to the hospital for chest pains,” Glauner said. “It was probably 25 or 30 minutes before we could get another squad car there and move them from one vehicle to the next and transport them.”
Glauner said that patient got the treatment they needed. But the truck was done for, the engine beyond repair. Its replacement is scheduled to be ready by March 31.
The Brunswick fire department is seeing delays for everything from those major truck parts to gloves, medical supplies, face shields, and turnout gear. Right now, new recruits who used to get their turnout gear in a couple of months are waiting a year.
“We’ve ended up renting gear for our newest members until such time as the new gear comes in,” said Glauner.
In Lakewood, Fairbanks said he’s hopeful things will get better soon. He’s confident that in the meantime, no matter what obstacles they face, firefighters will rise to the challenge.
“That’s part of our job is to be resilient and to provide that top level of service,” he said.
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