Firetruck backlog delays could affect Midlands departments for years

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Fire departments across the Midlands could potentially be seeing longer wait times, higher firetruck prices and increased repair delays as national supply chain issues strain budgets across the region.

Multiple fire departments from Lexington to Richland County say life-saving firetrucks could take years to arrive at local firehouses as a nationwide custom fire truck backlog stretches on.

Firetrucks typically have a 10-year lifespan before needing upgrades. But because of industry backlogs, getting a new one can be a moving target.

“So I want service. I want support… I want that thing to be on the road… I don’t want the downtime. That’s absurd,” said Sloan Valentino, assistant chief of Irmo Fire District.

Fire trucks are often one of the biggest purchases cities and counties have to make. But, in the Midlands and around the country, say the process of getting a new fire truck is slowing down, with longer wait times, higher prices, and repair delays, once trucks are delivered.

Valentino says Irmo Fire District departments have to plan for purchases over multiple budget years, adding more pressure on taxpayers and local government leaders to plan ahead effectively.

“Now, we’re having to budget for a multi‑year process… we’re going to pay in one year… not see the truck for a whole fiscal year… and in the third fiscal year, make the final payment,” Valentino said.

Valentino said that one of the major parts of the problem is that, unlike other vehicles, firetrucks are not mass-produced, allowing individual departments to customize almost every feature.

“You’re not building a hundred fire trucks on an assembly line… you’re building a hundred one‑off fire trucks,” Valentino said.

Even if a department is proactive and places orders early, prices can change dramatically by the time the truck arrives.

“When we bought one of our trucks, we paid $1.3 million for it. If we bought this truck today, it would be about $2 million,” Valentino said.

Other departments said they are seeing similar issues.

In Aiken County, the GVW Fire Department said one of the trucks they ordered in 2024 isn’t expected until 2027, and another one ordered in 2025 may not be done until the end of 2028.

Valentino said that delays don’t stop at delivery, with warranty work and repairs taking months because fire departments and other commercial vehicles often wait for the same part.

“The truck behind me has been out of service for four months because a local shop can’t quite figure out what the problem is… or refuses to put in the warranty work to actually fix it,” Valentino said.

Irmo says that currently reserve units help keep response times low, but Valention says the long-term impact could force tough decisions on staffing, equipment, and how departments plan to pay for new trucks.

“We may not be able to add personnel. We may not be able to add another truck to the fleet… we may have to do some creative financing,” Valentino said.

Right now, Irmo says it’s trying to control what it can by adding minimal customization to orders and doing more in-house maintenance, in an attempt to avoid being priced out of necessary repairs as wait times continue to grow.

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