Fire Apparatus Antitrust Litigation

Fire departments, cities, and counties are paying double — and waiting years — for the lifesaving fire trucks their communities depend on. Young & Partners represents public entities seeking to recover those overcharges and restore competition to a market that a handful of manufacturers have rolled up and monopolized.

Over the past two decades, a market once made up of dozens of independent, often family-owned fire apparatus builders has been consolidated into a near-monopoly. Today, just three corporate groups — REV Group, Oshkosh Corporation, and Rosenbauer — control more than 70% of U.S. fire truck production. The result has been exactly what consolidation predicts: prices for a single piece of apparatus have doubled or tripled, delivery backlogs now stretch for years, and fire departments are forced to keep aging, less-reliable equipment in service — putting firefighters and the public at risk.

Young & Partners represents governmental and institutional plaintiffs in affirmative antitrust litigation to hold these manufacturers accountable, recover the overcharges imposed on taxpayers, and unwind the anticompetitive conduct that created the crisis.

What the Litigation Alleges

These cases allege a multi-year scheme to consolidate and “roll up” the markets for fire trucks and the custom chassis on which they are built, together with exclusionary restraints in the market for replacement parts. Among the conduct alleged:

A private-equity-driven roll-up. Beginning around 2008, private equity firm American Industrial Partners (AIP) acquired and combined once-independent manufacturers — including E-ONE, KME, Ferrara, and Spartan/Smeal — under REV Group, marketing itself to Wall Street as an “experienced consolidator” while presenting its brands to fire departments as steeped in local tradition.
Deliberate supply restriction. Plaintiffs allege manufacturers shut down historic plants — including KME facilities in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania, and Roanoke, Virginia, costing hundreds of skilled jobs — reducing output and driving order backlogs to record levels.
Supra-competitive pricing. With competition eliminated, prices were allegedly hiked on the order of 50–100% or more, with executives celebrating “price realization” to investors.
Control of critical inputs. By acquiring custom-chassis makers that also supplied competing builders, REV Group allegedly gained leverage over much of the industry’s supply chain, while Oshkosh and Pierce allegedly restrained departments’ ability to obtain replacement parts.
Information-sharing among rivals. Complaints allege direct competitors exchanged competitively sensitive, nonpublic information through industry channels to coordinate supply and pricing.

Who We Represent

Young & Partners and/or its co-counsel represent cities, counties, and fire protection districts across the country in antitrust actions against the fire apparatus manufacturers and their private-equity owners. Our clients include:

City of Tampa
Los Angeles County — and the Consolidated Fire Protection District of Los Angeles County
County of San Diego
County of Butte
County of Shasta
City of San Diego
City of Santa Barbara
City of Oakland
City of Santa Clara
City of Emeryville
Ebbetts Pass Fire Protection District
Unified Fire Authority
City of Hartford
City of Portland
City of Allentown
City of Portsmouth
City of Green Bay
City of Yonkers
City of Tucson
City of Tempe
City of Albuquerque
City of Baltimore
City of Des Moines
City of Tacoma

A Growing National Reckoning

The fire apparatus pricing crisis has drawn scrutiny at every level of government. The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and the American Economic Liberties Project called on the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to investigate industry consolidation, and IAFF General President Edward Kelly testified before the U.S. Senate that the market conditions “were planned and executed by corporate interests that do not share our collective goal of public safety.” A bipartisan Senate hearing examined the soaring prices and delivery delays, the Texas Attorney General opened an investigation into the leading manufacturers, and cities including Milwaukee have brought their own actions. Young & Partners is at the forefront of the effort to turn that accountability into recovery for the communities harmed.

Free Case Evaluation

If your municipality, fire district, or department has overpaid for fire apparatus or faced extended delivery delays, you may be entitled to recover. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., with trusted co-counsel relationships in all fifty states, Young & Partners represents only plaintiffs — never defendants, and never insurance companies. For a free case evaluation, call us toll-free at (888) 463-0699 or contact us through the form on our site.