BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Millions of Americans have been impacted by the supply chain issues and delays, including members of the Broken Arrow Fire Department.
Due to the ongoing issues, it’s taking two years to order and receive new fire trucks. The delay is forcing BAFD to order the trucks in advance.
“Normally, we’d get a fire truck in about nine months, but we’re experiencing supply chain issues in everything; our medical supplies are delayed, our ambulances have been delayed, anything we ordered is taking longer to get here than it normally would,” Chief Mark Steward said.
He adds, fire trucks wear out like your personal vehicle.
“It’s harder for us to get parts to repair the existing fire trucks so we’re in reserve firetrucks and if it goes down with a problem it’s harder to get a part to fix it. The same issues causing us to have delays in getting new trucks is having problems with us getting parts to fix our existing trucks,” he said.
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From nine months to 26 months of waiting time for new trucks, Chief Steward said that’s why they planned ahead to buy trucks in advance, making it a challenge to budget for.
“Municipalities typically like to pay for something they get in the same year. In this case, we’re paying for a truck or two trucks we won’t get to see for two years,” Steward said.
He said they’re also seeing supply issues with medical supplies. Chief Steward said every week it’s something different they’re having issues getting. This week, he said, it’s plastic syringes.
When it comes to medical supplies, he said, a lot of the delays are out of China. He’s hoping local companies can jump in and help.
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