PITTSBURGH — The city of Pittsburgh ordered approximately $2 million in brand-new fire trucks late last year under the Peduto administration.
But that order was unceremoniously canceled this year under the Gainey administration.
Target 11 Investigator Rick Earle has spent the past several months looking into this controversy and he’s live after obtaining internal e-mails that shed new light on the purchases.
Under the Peduto administration last fall, the city of Pittsburgh ordered three brand-new Pierce pumper trucks with plans to purchase two more, but Fire Chief Darryl Jones tells Target 11 that he was never consulted about the purchases.
“I was thinking I have people who were not end users of fire trucks telling me what’s best for me. So shocked, somewhat offended, to be honest with you,” said Jones.
And the firefighters union said it wasn’t notified either.
“Absolutely blindsided. I’ve never seen something like this happen. Never seen somebody make a decision or group, I don’t know who or how many people made this decision, where the end users had no input or involvement whatsoever,” said firefighters union president Ralph Sicuro.
Both Sicuro and Jones claimed the Pierce fire trucks that were ordered didn’t meet the specifications needed for the unique conditions in Pittsburgh. Among the issues raised by the chief and Sicuro: There were no galvanized wheel wells to withstand salt, no extra insulation in the cab for noise control, and no heavy-duty brakes for the hilly terrain.
The chief said that in all, 97 deficiencies were found.
“That was all deficiencies that are unacceptable because they are safety issues. The rigs wouldn’t last. We have a unique topography here, so our rigs have to be highly custom,” said Jones.
“This is a subpar piece of equipment that we will be stuck with for 10 years. That taxpayers will be stuck with something that can’t do the job. Why would we want to pay that kind of money for it, " said Sicuro.
The majority of pumper trucks the city already has were purchased from Spencer, and the chief says they have proven to be very reliable.
After learning of the purchase, Sicuro sent an e-mail to the Public Safety director at the time, blasting the process.
“Something smells wrong about this deal. ... Who is responsible for making this shady deal and what qualifications they have to determine what equipment is best for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire, the firefighters that use this equipment and the citizens lives that will be on the line?” wrote Sicuro.
But internal city e-mails obtained by Target 11 through a right-to-know request are raising questions about the Union and the chief’s involvement in the process.
The former chief operating officer under the Peduto administration, Kinsey Casey, wrote in one e-mail: “When the ELA (Equipment Leasing Authority) initially awarded the contract to Pierce because it was the lower bid, Spencer came back with a lower bid, but still not lower than Pierce. That always struck me as a bit fishy. Even the tone of the e-mail chain below seems to indicate there is something else going on here.”
And this e-mail from the city’s Fleet Services Manager, Brandon Walton: “Spencer has a history of lowering his price once Pierce or any other manufacturer bids lower than him. Like you, I find a lot of what goes on between PBF (Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire) and Spencer to be fishy. ... I truly believe that Spencer has been attempting to overcharge the City on Apparatus because he simply can. He has a direct line to Union members and all of the Chiefs. We are his largest customer, and he should treat us as such rather than attempt to take advantage of us.”
Chief Jones responded to Walton’s claims.
“I believe that his opinion flawed. No one has a direct line to me. I am a steward of the city and the people’s money, just like everybody else that works for the city,” said Jones.
The president of the union also responded to Walton’s email.
“As far as a direct line, I don’t know any direct line but our members who are on labor/management committee will obviously discuss and talk with all manufacturers of equipment,” said Sicuro.
Target 11 also spoke with several members of the Peduto administration.
They said Pierce was the low bid, and they could purchase four Pierce trucks for the price of three Spencer trucks. They contend Pierce will do the same job as Spencer, but may not have all the bells and whistles.
And they said at least one assistant fire chief was aware of the new purchases.
“It wasn’t as if Fire was completely ignored and ELA (the Equipment Leasing Authority) decided to purchase trucks fire didn’t want. We all care about being good stewards. Paying more money struck me as odd and unusual,” said a former Peduto administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
But after the new administration took office in January, the city canceled the order.
Pierce, which has supplied ladder trucks to the fire bureau, agreed to refund the entire amount.
In e-mails to the city, Pierce said they submitted the bid based on the specifications and requirements it received from the Equipment Leasing Authority.
The city is now in the process of putting out a new bid, but with current supply chain issues, it could take a year to get the new pumpers.
“It’s going to be somewhat of a delay, but we’ll mange. Yes, yesterday there was one spare pumper. I don’t know how many we have today,” said Jones.
And as they begin the process of rebidding, Sicuro suggested an investigation to air all grievances.
“If they feel there’s something wrong on our end, take my advice, do an investigation into this issues, because that’s what I’ve asked for. Do the investigation find out who made these decisions and why they made them,” said Sicuro.
Target 11 spoke with a representative from Spencer, who denied any allegations of impropriety.
He said the city is a valued customer and he’d never attempt to overcharge them. Target 11 reached out to Pierce but haven’t heard back.
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