Breakdowns

New trucks plague crews

By Melvin Claxton and Charles Hurt / The Detroit News

    In early August, the driver of Engine 21 had seen enough and told the Fire Department’s maintenance shop that his truck shouldn’t be on the road another day.
    The motor was sputtering. The truck, expected to get to fires in a hurry, could barely go 5 mph, maintenance logs show.
    But the engine was not among the city’s oldest pumpers, some of which date back 16 years. It was less than 4 months old.
    The fire engine went into service in May, one of 14 pumpers ordered by the city in 1999 and delivered this year. It was part of the Fire Department’s $2.8-million effort to modernize its fleet, among the oldest and most problem-ridden of the 10 largest cold-weather cities surveyed by The News.
    But the new trucks bought from American LaFrance have had troubles. Of the pumpers, 11 already have been repaired or are awaiting repairs.
    The problems range from headlights that don’t work to trucks that don’t pump.
    Fire officials and the manufacturer have downplayed the problems.
    Fire Commissioner Charles Wilson conceded some of the new trucks had electrical and hydraulic problems, but said they weren’t serious.
    “I understand that there have been some electrical problems or some hydraulic problems or some fittings that were not tightened, but not to the point where the fleet has been out of service,” Wilson said.
    American LaFrance insists the breakdowns are not unexpected for new trucks.
    “The problems we are seeing are relatively minor,” American LaFrance salesman Steven Chiodo said. “These are the types of things you see with new trucks.”
    But the association that sets the standards for firefighting nationwide sees otherwise.
    “You can expect new trucks to have bugs,” said Larry Stewart, a National Fire Protection Association specialist. “But trucks stalling and major electrical problems are serious and unacceptable.”
    The trucks’ journals tell the story:
* Engine 1, Engine 42, Engine 53, Engine 54, and Engine 55 have had electrical problems. The headlights and gauges on some trucks don’t work properly. Others have lost emergency lights.
* Engine 30 has a main lever on its pump that jams, sometimes preventing the firefighters from shutting off the pump. The truck’s top right emergency light doesn’t work. The inside back door handle is broken, requiring firefighters to roll down the window and lean outside to open the door.
* Engine 37 has broken pump seals that spray water in all directions, causing a drop in water pressure to hoses.
    The pumper truck problems are the latest setbacks to a department whose fleet has been plagued by age and poor maintenance.

Contact the reporters at churt@detnews.com and mclaxton@detnews.com.