TL;DR: Southern California fire departments say a 2022-model fire truck that cost $1.5 million would cost $2.3 to $2.5 million today, with build times quoted at 45 months, forcing 20-year-old engines to stay on the front line.

Southern California fire agencies told investigators on Oct. 13, 2026, that the price of new fire apparatus has risen more than 50% in four years while delivery waits stretch for years. According to CBS Los Angeles, chiefs in Los Angeles County, Fullerton and Pasadena blame consolidation among a small group of manufacturers, including brands owned by REV Group, and have joined federal antitrust lawsuits alleging a “consolidation scheme” driven by private equity.

The account, reported by Jeff Nguyen for CBS California Investigates, links the equipment shortage directly to wildfire response. When the Pointe Fire moved through Santa Clarita on July 15, flames reached homes, a school bus yard and Congregation Beth Shalom, burning up to the preschool playground. The nearby Fire Station 150 houses Engine 150, a 20-year-old engine with more than 233,000 miles that remains in frontline service.

Pointe Fire puts aging engines in the spotlight

The July 15 Pointe Fire burned through hills around Santa Clarita and encroached on homes, a school bus yard and Congregation Beth Shalom, according to CBS Los Angeles.

Rabbi Jay Siegel recalled flames reaching the synagogue preschool playground. He described the fire as touch and go and frightening.

Congregation Beth Shalom sits a few miles from Fire Station 150. That station’s engine has logged more than 233,000 miles, the station’s assignment highlighting how mileage accumulates on apparatus that stays in daily service.

Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Aaron Katon told CBS California Investigates that industry standards call for 15 years on the frontline followed by 10 years in a reserve fleet. Engine 150 is 20 years old and still assigned to the frontline.

Katon said much of the county fleet dates to 2006 and 2007. He said departments everywhere face the same problem, not only Los Angeles.

CBS California Investigates has followed fleet age since the Palisades Fire in January 2025. According to CBS Los Angeles, a CBS LA drone flew over an L.A. City Fire maintenance yard known as the boneyard, where dozens of fire engines and trucks were parked for repairs.

What $1.5 million bought in 2022 — and what it buys now

Fullerton Fire Chief Adam Loeser told investigators that prices for lifesaving equipment have skyrocketed, according to CBS Los Angeles.

Loeser showed CBS California Investigates a 2022 fire truck purchased for $1.5 million. Buying that truck brand new today would cost about $2.3 million to $2.5 million, a jump of more than 50%.

In Pasadena, Fire Chief Chad Augustine said every department around the country is feeling the pain. He said departments are getting priced out of the market and pointed to community safety as the other impact.

Augustine said his department was recently quoted a build time of 45 months. That is nearly four years from order to delivery for a new apparatus.

For preparedness planners, the combination matters: higher replacement cost plus multi-year delivery leaves fewer spare rigs available when emergency and routine maintenance removes apparatus from service. Departments told CBS California Investigates that daily availability varies because apparatus cycles through emergency and routine maintenance.

Lawsuits allege consolidation scheme

Fullerton, the County of Los Angeles and the State of California have filed federal antitrust lawsuits against several manufacturers of fire apparatus, including those owned by REV Group, according to CBS Los Angeles.

The plaintiffs describe the conduct as a “consolidation scheme.” The complaint states: “Private equity has played a pivotal role in this destruction of competition.”

REV Group lists about a dozen fire apparatus and emergency vehicle brands under its umbrella on its website. CBS California Investigates asked the company for comment, but a spokesperson declined a request for an interview.

Manufacturers dispute the claims. During a Senate hearing last fall, REV Group president Mike Virnig told lawmakers steps are being taken to bring build times down to about a year, according to CBS Los Angeles. Virnig said the company continued to hire hundreds of skilled laborers, calling labor one of the biggest problems, and said millions of dollars had been invested in every factory.

During the same Senate hearing, Pierce Manufacturing Vice President Dan Meyer was asked about allegations of collusion among makers of fire apparatus. Meyer said a lawsuit had been put against Pierce Manufacturing and that the company believes it is without merit.

In August, a joint motion was filed on behalf of REV Group, Oshkosh, its subsidiary Pierce and Rosenbauer to dismiss the antitrust class action. A spokesperson for Pierce and Oshkosh says the move underscores “the lack of factual support for these claims,” according to CBS Los Angeles.

A number of fire chiefs told CBS California Investigates that high demand created supply shortages and increased federal spending during the COVID-19 pandemic, adding another explanation for tight supply alongside the consolidation claims.

Baton Rouge case details backlogs and market shares

A separate lawsuit filed by the city of Baton Rouge offers the most detailed public allegations about backlogs and market concentration, according to reporting by WBRZ.

The Baton Rouge lawsuit was filed Aug. 10 in the 19th Judicial District Court. It names Ferrara Fire Apparatus Inc., REV Group Inc., Oshkosh Corp., Pierce Manufacturing Inc., Rosenbauer America LLC and the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers Association as defendants.

The city alleges the defendants worked together to artificially raise prices and limit production, forcing municipalities to pay more and wait longer. Baton Rouge says it purchased at least 18 fire trucks from Ferrara and at least two from Pierce since 2016, all affected by the alleged conspiracy.

According to WBRZ, the petition alleges the companies used the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers Association, known as FAMA, to share sensitive pricing and sales data that competitors would not normally exchange. The suit alleges FAMA held twice-yearly members-only meetings and shared detailed economic data through a secure portal that buyers, including municipalities, cannot access.

The Baton Rouge petition points to order backlogs as evidence of supply suppression. According to WBRZ, REV Group had a $3.6 billion backlog in late 2023, a 41 percent increase over 2022, and a $4.4 billion backlog as of October 2025. Oshkosh’s backlog quadrupled from 2019 to 2023 to around $4 billion, while Rosenbauer reported an approximately $2.67 billion backlog at the end of 2024.

The same petition alleges REV Group acquired Ferrara in April 2017 for $100.1 million, absorbing an independent local manufacturer and reducing competition in the Louisiana market.

On market size, the lawsuit estimates REV Group captures approximately $1 billion of roughly $3 billion in annual U.S. fire truck sales, while Oshkosh captures about $750 million and Rosenbauer around $307 million, according to WBRZ. The city says the defendants together account for nearly all fire apparatus sold to Louisiana public purchasers since at least 2016.

Baton Rouge is seeking treble damages, disgorgement of profits, restitution and a permanent injunction, while reserving the right to seek a temporary restraining order. On July 21, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, joined by Sen. Jim Banks, introduced Senate Joint Resolution 201 directing the Federal Trade Commission to investigate anticompetitive practices in the industry, a resolution pending before the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to WBRZ.

Older rigs lack modern crew protection

Age affects more than availability. In May, a security camera captured L.A. City Fire Engine 274 in a rollover crash, according to CBS Los Angeles.

One issue being considered in the investigation is whether age was a factor. The department told CBS California Investigates that the 19-year-old apparatus was not equipped with airbags or rollover protection. Two firefighters suffered injuries.

Loeser said modern apparatus are equipped with airbags and other safety features. Firefighters said new backup cameras are especially helpful when crews back out of tight canyons.

Loeser compared apparatus protection to passenger vehicles, saying backup cameras and airbags are required on personal vehicles and arguing firefighters responding with lights and sirens need equal protection.

At La Verne, an engine ordered three years earlier was delivered in 2024, according to CBS Los Angeles. Chris Nigg, who was fire chief at the time, said the diesel motor catastrophically failed within several weeks on the road and had to be rebuilt and torn down entirely, a repair that took more than six months.

Nigg said he understands manufacturers need to turn a profit but said prices have not plateaued like in other industries. Nigg is now fire chief in Fountain Valley, which is part of a class action against the apparatus makers.

Why replacement planning is slipping

In Santa Clarita, Engine 150 remains on the frontline because the 20-year-old apparatus is newer than the unit it replaced earlier this year, according to CBS Los Angeles. That earlier unit had been in service since 1998.

Katon and other chiefs said apparatus availability varies daily because of emergency and routine maintenance, making long-range replacement planning difficult when new orders take years.

Baton Rouge makes a similar claim about extended service, saying trucks that should have been retired after 15 or 20 years are being kept for 30 years because replacements are too expensive or unavailable, according to WBRZ.

Rabbi Siegel said fire crews successfully protected lives and property during the Pointe Fire but argued an effective line of defense should be well-rounded. He called the margin between safety and destruction a fine line, saying one inch or one gust of wind could produce a different outcome.

For households near wildland interfaces, the practical takeaway is general: maintain defensible space, keep evacuation routes and go-bags ready, and monitor local agency alerts, because municipal fleet strain can affect surge capacity during overlapping incidents.

The lawsuits remain allegations. Courts have not decided the antitrust claims described by CBS Los Angeles and WBRZ, and manufacturers say the cases lack factual support while pointing to labor hiring and factory investment as steps toward shorter build times.

Sources referenced