What to Know
- Tower 3, the only unit capable of facilitating group evacuations from tall buildings, has been out since Aug. 29.
- Two of the department’s 16 ladder fire trucks are out of service, and there are no reserve trucks available.
- “We are in year two of a six to eight year rebuilding of our apparatus fleet. We have placed seven new trucks in service since 2015.”
As the Washington, D.C., continues to rely on a fleet of private ambulances to keep up with 911 call demand, the district’s fleet of fire trucks is once again falling behind. Two of the department’s 16 ladder fire trucks are out of service, and there are no reserve trucks available.
Tower 3, the only unit capable of facilitating group evacuations from tall buildings, has been out since Aug. 29 and is assigned as a first responder for emergencies at the White House. Truck 15 is out for repairs.
“There's no doubt that a fully functional fleet with reserves is necessary for first responders, whether it's police or fire,” said Phil Mendelson, chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia.
The problems with D.C.’s aging fleet of fire trucks have been well documented over the years. Under former Mayor Vincent Gray and Chief Kenneth Ellerbee, the department went several years without buying any new vehicles.
Mayor Muriel Bowser and Chief Gregory Dean pledged to fix that and have budgeted millions of dollars for new trucks.
“Each time we think we have a fix, a couple years down the road, (it) turns out we didn't have the fix,” said Ward 3 D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh.
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“I thought they had turned the corner with regard to maintenance,” Mendelson said.
In a written statement, Doug Buchanan, spokesman for the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department said, “We are in year two of a six to eight year rebuilding of our apparatus fleet. We have placed seven new trucks in service since 2015.”
*Trucks 7 and 13 placed in service in May 2016
*Truck 5 placed in service in March 2015
*Truck 15 placed in service in October 2015
*Trucks 6, 14 and 9 placed in service January 2016
“Our reserve fleet is filling in, currently replacing front line ladder company trucks, in order to make some major long standing mechanical and safety repairs so that all of our apparatus fleet can meet (National Fire Protection Association) standards,” Buchanan said.
Fire officials said Tower 3 should be back in service by Sept. 22 and Truck 15 by Sept. 9. Until then, Truck 9 from U Street has been redeployed to Truck 15’s station in northeast to provide coverage.
