Emergency Response Vehicles in the U.S. and Canada Volume 1 - Emergency Response Vehicles, Fire Trucks, Current Market Conditions, Big 3 Players, Key Performance Indicators, Fire Departments, Wildfires, Pyro-Terrorism

Fire trucks, the focus of Volume 1, are used by Fire and Rescue Services, which are considered part of critical U.S. infrastructure, specifically the Emergency Services Sector (ESS). The ESS includes geographically distributed facilities and equipment in both paid and volunteer capacities organized primarily at the federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial levels of government, such as city police departments and fire stations, county sheriff’s offices, Department of Defense police and fire departments, and town public works departments. The ESS also includes private sector resources, such as industrial fire departments, private security organizations, and private emergency medical services providers.

North American Fire truck production in 2023 was lower than the historical average due to supply chain and labor issues. Additionally, Fire truck customers are struggling with prices that are at historic highs. New engine emission requirements also are on the horizon. 

Three companies and their brands dominate the Fire truck market. The market leader, Oshkosh Corp., is analyzed in detail. Key performance indicators for the Big 3 are provided. 

There are approximately 27,185 Fire departments in the U.S. Pennsylvania has the most, but New York City has the largest Fire department in the U.S. with 17,329 employees and a 2023 budget of ~$2.3 billion.

The number of U.S. annual wildfires is variable but has decreased slightly over the last 30 years. However, the number of acres affected annually, while also variable, generally has increased. The total cost of wildfires in the United States is estimated at between ~$400 billion to ~$900 billion each year.

An important thesis of Volume 1 is that the odds of Pyro-Terrorism events in the U.S. are increasing. The Ukraine-Russia war, the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel, and the invasion of the Southern U.S. border by illegal migrants all have increased the likelihood of Pyro-Terrorism coming to the U.S. from the Middle East and Europe.