As Columbus weighs what it will take to rebuild its aging fleet of fire trucks, fire engines and ambulances, the city is set to allocate $7.4 million for five vehicles.
Columbus City Council is likely to approve two contracts at its June 29 meeting: one for about $5 million for four fire engines and one contract for about $2.4 million for one ladder truck. This money is coming out of the city’s 2025 capital budget, which allocated $15 million for fire apparatus.
After the fire union and public raised concerns about city emergency vehicles in recent months, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther’s administration is proposing a record $21.5 million for fire apparatus in the city’s 2026 capital budget, which is yet to be presented to council.
Columbus City Councilmember Emmanuel Remy, who chairs the public safety committee, told The Dispatch that he supports increasing the city’s spending on fire apparatus.
Remy said ahead of the council meeting that these ordinances show the council’s commitment to getting the fleet back on track.
“We need to do what it takes to make sure that we are driving one of the best fleets that there are in the nation, and not something that is subpar,” Remy said.
The fire engines will come from Atlantic Emergency Solutions, a Pierce Manufacturing dealer. The ladder truck will come from Sutphen Corp., a Dublin-based manufacturer that is mired in a labor dispute with some of its union workers.
Sutphen’s unionized workers in Dublin, part of Teamsters Local 284, went on strike for eight months before going back to work in February. But they are still without a contract and could resume striking at any time. Sutphen has other locations in Ohio that are not unionized.
Government and politics reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus council to vote on fire engine purchases amid fleet concerns
Reporting by Jordan Laird, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jordan Laird, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
