There's controversy in the Youngstown Fire Department that reached a head Sunday, over aging equipment. It stems from a Facebook post from the fire union stating:
 
"In early May, the city's duct-taped 23-year-old ladder truck was taken out of service for ongoing major mechanical problems. The assigned crews were put into a 25-year-old spare apparatus. 

Last week, that spare apparatus was also taken out of service for stalling out during a call, resulting in crews being placed in a different 25-year-old spare apparatus.  

Last night, that apparatus caught fire during routine operation and was also placed out of service, closing the downtown ladder company until further notice.

The mismanagement of the fire department's aging and dilapidated fleet is of great safety concern to Local 312. 

Our crews are being forced to respond to emergencies in unsafe apparatus all over the city and we urge this administration to fix the problem. 

As made clear by the following article, the fire department is not a top priority. 50 million of nearly 82 million ARP funds are allocated, and not one mention of the fire department. 

Will it ever be?"
 
In a statement, the fire union continued, "Local 312 is committed to addressing our firefighter's safety concerns.  Basic needs to effectively perform our duties, like functioning apparatus, equipment, and staffing are not being met.  On a daily basis, our members are overcoming tremendous adversity to succeed because we have been set up to fail.
 
Although the City recently ordered a truck to replace the 23-year-old downtown ladder, they won't receive it for 2 more years.  These issues have not arisen overnight, they have plagued this department in recent years. The YFD's average frontline fire apparatus is 16 years old,  and our average backup apparatus is 22 years old.
 
ARP funds or grant money could be used to update our fleet that lives depend on, but the YFD continues to be deprioritized by this administration.
 
Fire Chief Barry Finley called those accusations a slap in the face, saying he does everything he can to keep up with the maintenance of the trucks and keep them on the roads and that includes staying on track with the mechanics budget. 
 
"Yeah we have aging equipment but I have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars keeping our equipment up to par," said Chief Finley. "It's only natural that trucks break down," he said. 
 
Councilwoman and safety committee member Basia Adamczack agrees that the equipment is in need of an upgrade but also says it's been in the works. 
 
"The trucks that we have, our pump trucks are in a ten-year rotation similar to how our YPD has their cars on rotation," said Adamczak. "Chief did come before the safety committee which then went before council and asked for this $2.1 million dollar truck," she said. 
 
They'll have that new ladder truck in 2025. When it comes down specifically to ARP money though, there was never a request put in from the chief or the fire union for upgraded equipment through those funds.