<p><span style="font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-family: times new roman, times;"><strong>Baltimore, MD – Dec. 7, 2022 </strong>- Baltimore City Fire Union and Department officials are sounding the alarm about an aging fleet and the agency's readiness to respond to emergencies.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-family: times new roman, times;">Those concerns were raised Wednesday at a city council committee hearing called to get a status report on fire equipment and personnel. Fire department officials described an antiquated purchasing system. They cited a chronic lack of funds and ongoing supply chain problems as reasons for concern.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-family: times new roman, times;">Looks can be deceiving according to Baltimore City's Fire Union. The two-alarm fire Wednesday on South Monroe Street prompted a rapid response by multiple trucks, firefighters and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) crews.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-family: times new roman, times;">But union officials point out, there is an overall shortage of vehicles. Five ladder truck companies for example are currently out of service.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-family: times new roman, times;">"Their primary responsibility on the fire ground is life safety. Searching for trapped victims," Josh Fannen, the president of the International Association of Fire Fighters local 964 union, said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-family: times new roman, times;">"These apparatuses not on the road today is a safety issue. It's a safety for our members. It's a safety for the citizens of Baltimore," Rich Langford, the president of the Fire Union Local 734, said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times new roman, times;" _mce_style="font-family: times new roman, times;">Department officials said vehicle funding was dramatically cut in 2014 and the budget has not increased since. Even if the money was available, COVID-19 and supply chain issues delay delivery time from nine months to two years and in some cases even longer.</span></p>