North Charleston Fire Department faces fleet shortage, “slightly impacting” operations

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – The North Charleston Fire Department is facing a shortage in its vehicle fleet, with only one available ladder truck.

The fire department currently has four ladder trucks out of service, which has slightly impacted operations. Officials said it has been an “on and off” issue as these trucks take the longest to repair, either one to two weeks or even months.

“So, currently we have one aerial that is in service today. We will have another one in service tomorrow. We have another one that just underwent repairs and we’re just trying to ensure that through ladder testing, it meets our safety standards, and that one will be in service,” Deputy Chief Christan Rainey, public information officer of North Charleston Fire, said. “We have two other ones that have mechanical issues that we have in the shop just waiting on parts and other things. “

While the department works to get all five trucks up and running again, they have been relying on their auto-aid agreement. The agreement allows other fire departments to respond with to calls no matter the location. This department works with St. Andrews, the City of Charleston, Goose Creek, and Summerville to ensure there is not a lapse of service.

The fire department said when these vehicles do break down, it can happen due to regular wear and tear.

“Just normal mechanical failures, I mean they get older – they just have issues. Our shops do a pretty good job of making sure we do preventative maintenance, but of course like every vehicle on the road – they will have their issues with especially the amount volume of call in every part of the city. We put a lot of mileage on our trucks,” said Rainey.

However, when a fire department does want a new truck or replacements it is not a quick, easy process. Rainey explained it’s because of supply and demand.

“The trucks only typically take roughly about ten weeks, I think, to build. But it takes us three and a half years to get in line to be able to build those trucks. It’s nothing really in our control. We can order today and we won’t see it for another four years,” Rainey said. “So, that’s why we’ve been kind of strategically planning when we purchase our trucks to make sure we’re replacing them in a timely manner and we have the appropriate reserves to backfill when these types of issues happen.”

The fire department had ordered two ladders, which are anticipated to arrive in Fall 2028.