BROCKTON — Five years ago, Brockton could buy a fire truck for $631,000. The next two would set the city back more than $1M each.
Why has the price gone up so much? Depends on whom you ask. Fire Chief Brian Nardelli largely blames consolidation and decreased competition in the fire truck manufacturing business. The handful of companies left that build fire trucks instead say it’s a spike in demand plus supply-chain problems left over from COVID.
Fire pros are increasingly alarmed at price hikes and delivery times that stretch up to five years. At least four Massachusetts cities and towns, including Chelsea and Revere, have joined a federal price-fixing lawsuit against the manufacturers. Brockton Mayor Moises Rodrigues said he’d consider Brockton joining as a plaintiff…