The Cleveland Fire Fighter's Association said it has safety concerns when it comes to the city's aging fleet of fire trucks.
Fire union President Francis Lally pointed to Cleveland's latest annual report on the fire department, which indicated 13 of the city's 42 fire trucks are listed in "poor condition," with eight of the trucks having more than 120,000 miles on them. “I’m not only worried about the safety of our crews out on the streets, but for the citizens and the residents out there, because we have more and more people living downtown, we have more and more people living in high-rise buildings,” Lally said.
“It is a safety issue, some of these pumpers that are out there right now have failed their annual inspection. Which means they can’t pump at the pressures that are needed, say for high-rise fires.”
“By the city’s own metrics they’re in poor condition. It’s not just one, it’s not just two, it’s not just three that need to be replaced on an annual basis, it’s over a dozen.”