Excerpts from wisn.com:
The Milwaukee Fire Department is facing significant challenges with its aging fleet of fire engines and ladder trucks, which Fire Chief Aaron Lipski warns could pose a safety hazard if not replaced.
“We are beating these rigs up,” Lipski said in a Friday morning finance and personnel committee meeting at city hall.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, front-line engines and ladder trucks should not be more than 15 years old. Currently, Milwaukee Fire Department data shows three engines are already 15 years old, and five are 17 years old. There is one ladder truck that is 21 years old, one ladder truck that is 14 years old and one that is 13 years old.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s proposed 2026 budget includes $2 million for the fire department to repair and replace old equipment, but data from the department indicates that more than $27 million is needed to fix, replace, and ensure all equipment meets national standards within the next two years.
“Chief, what can you buy with $2 million worth of equipment budget?” The vice chair of the finance and personnel committee, asked during Friday’s budget hearing. “I can probably get a single fire engine and there will be a little leftover,” Lipski responded.
Lipski explained that the department’s ladder trucks undergo annual testing to ensure safety, and that aging equipment caused three of the trucks to fail.
The alderman said he plans on trying to amend the mayor’s budget to give the fire department the more than the $27 million it would take to repair and replace necessary equipment, and suggests borrowing the money if the city cannot come up with it another way. Borrowing money could mean Milwaukee would be paying off the loans for the next 15 years or so.
thanks Jason
