Why Are These Firefighters So Upset About Their New Truck?

Firefighters in Stewart, Florida are upset about getting a new truck. In that context, it makes the department sound ungrateful, but digging a little deeper, we find out that the new truck is actually a downgrade from their current equipment. While the mini-pumper truck they were approved to buy would be brand new, it’s actually smaller than the truck it will be replacing, thus reducing their ability to fight fires.

Hopefully the firefighters and the city can come to a compromise instead of downgrading their equipment, without costing the taxpayers too much more money. We’ve seen plenty of instances where citizens didn’t seem too concerned with the fire department having the best equipment available until they were watching the firefighters struggle to extinguish what is left of the citizen’s home. At that point, it’s too late to upgrade.