OCALA, Fla. — North American fire truck manufacturers are clawing back production after two years of supply-chain turbulence, yet orders continue to outpace deliveries by a wide margin, according to a press release from the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association.
FAMA’s data show booked orders for fire apparatus soared 45% above the 2011-2019 average once pandemic travel restrictions eased, while shipped units fell 9% below that baseline because of parts shortages and factory slowdowns. The mismatch created an unprecedented backlog, and the extended lead times that many departments now face when replacing rigs.
The 2024 picture is improving. Shipments climbed 13% over the 2022 low, trimming the order-to-delivery gap for the first time since the pandemic began. Even so, the backlog remains large by historical standards.
Looking back at booked and shipped orders since 2011, following disruptions associated with the great financial crisis of 2008 to 2010, the fire service experienced a period of relative stability in terms of numbers of units ordered and shipped. Booked orders briefly dipped 12% in 2020 when in-person specification meetings were halted due to COVID-19, but pent-up demand drove a rapid rebound in 2021 and 2022.
According to FAMA, manufacturing activity was less impacted by the pandemic initially. In many cases, manufacturers increased inventories in response to the potential for material shortages. This helped to mitigate some of the disruption in 2020. However, material shortages became more of an issue through 2021 and 2022, resulting in the aforementioned 9% drop in shipped orders versus the pre-pandemic baseline. Furthermore, while the 13% increase from 2022 doesn’t eliminate the large gap that emerged as a result of the spike in booked orders, FAMA calls it a “key step in closing the gap and bringing lead times into a more normal timeline.”
Founded in 1946, FAMA membership has grown to approximately 135 companies, including 55 manufacturers of fire apparatus and associated emergency response vehicles. All FAMA members produce apparatus or components for fire apparatus for domestic and export markets at facilities in the United States and Canada. The organization’s Governmental Affairs Committee advocates for federal funding programs, such as AFG and SAFER, while its Data and Research Committee tracks market trends.
FireRescue1 is using generative AI to create some content that is edited and fact-checked by our editors.
