Editor’s Opinion | Chris Mc Loone
My former chief used to tell the line officers to always remember the big picture in whatever decision we were making—whether on the fireground or back at the firehouse.
I used to tell my three boys the same thing—to the point that I’m sure they got tired of hearing it. Side note, they mimic me saying it, but I’m pretty sure they get it. But, keeping that big picture in mind is critical in anything we do so our decisions are not shortsighted. While these decisions could ease whatever pain we’re experiencing in the short term, they may not benefit us in the long term.
Fire apparatus purchasing, particularly right now, is an area where we must remember the big picture. There is a lot of what I consider noise being made around fire apparatus right now—and on a national level. Not many saw that coming. But it doesn’t benefit any departments to get caught up in listening to all the noise when the fact remains that fire apparatus reach the end of their life cycles and must be replaced. Fire apparatus break down and must be repaired. We need qualified emergency vehicle technicians to make these repairs to get the rigs back in service as soon as possible.
Apparatus fleets comprise a big piece of a fire department’s budget, and when demands for budget cuts come down, the fleet is often a place leaders look to see what, if any, cuts can be made. Sometimes these cuts come in the form of delaying fire truck replacement. Sometimes they could be via reducing fleet maintenance personnel. But, in these instances, looking long term and considering the big picture become vital. Delaying apparatus replacement—long term—is not the way to go. When the next replacement cycle comes around, you’ll have double the number of rigs to replace. Reducing fleet maintenance personnel at the same time is also not the way to go. Delaying replacement means aging trucks are going to need more frequent repair. Reducing the number of people you have to repair these aging rigs that are coming into the shop more frequently is not going a long way toward reducing out-of-service time.
I am not suggesting that we snap our fingers and get new trucks and qualified people to maintain them. That’s not realistic. And, I do know that departments across the country are struggling to come up with solutions to their fleet challenges given the current purchasing environment with increased costs and lead times. During these times, it’s always a good idea to look at departments that have experienced similar challenges.
In 2016, the Boston (MA) Fire Department undertook the twofold task of updating its fleet and its maintenance division—at the same time. Like many things, this undertaking resulted from a tragedy. In “Creating A Mission-Capable Fleet” (October 2016), the author states, “There are times when organizations analyze where they are and their current status and realize that change is necessary. Dwelling on how the entity arrived at its current location is less important than making the necessary changes and moving forward.” Rigs have to be replaced, and we need personnel to fix them. To meet a fire department’s operational needs, the apparatus must be mission-capable. But, to ensure each rig is mission-capable means having a fleet maintenance operation that can meet the needs of the apparatus. Operational needs—THEY are the big picture.
We know that lead times are long for custom rigs right now. We know that costs have increased. We know that manufacturers, large and small, offer options that can reduce the lead times as well as the cost for new apparatus. We know that there is a lot of noise being made across the Internet and at a national level about the causes for the current purchasing atmosphere in which we find ourselves. Our challenge is to block out the noise, to keep the opera