Soaring prices for fire engines and yearslong wait times for delivery have strained local government budgets and placed communities in danger, firefighters told Congress on Wednesday.

Dennis Rubin, the fire chief in Kansas City, Kansas, said it appeared that “corporate greed” was to blame. In testimony, he called for Congress to intervene, suggesting that lawmakers pursue “enforceable manufacturing guidelines” on pricing, delivery times and how replacement parts are made available.

“There must come a day of reckoning when the manufacturers of our most important tools are held accountable for runaway pricing and extended delivery times,” he said.

The New York Times reported earlier this year that Wall Street executives have led an aggressive consolidation of the industry, cutting manufac

See Full Page