Buffalo, NY, Invests Nearly $31 Million to Upgrade Aging Fire Apparatus Fleet
The city of Buffalo announced a significant public safety investment Wednesday, upgrading its fire and police department fleets nearly four years after it came under fire during an historic blizzard.
Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan said the fire department will purchase 19 pumpers and nine ladder trucks from Rosenbauer at the cost of nearly $31 million. The investment is a 10-year lease-to-own program.
“These new apparatuses give Buffalo firefighters reliable equipment to respond safely and effectively across the city,” Buffalo Fire Commissioner Daniel Pizarro said in a statement. “Replacing our highest-priority aging vehicles now cuts maintenance demands and improves operational readiness, while locking in today's pricing protects the city from inflation and spreads the cost out on a fiscally responsible long-term plan. This is one of the largest single apparatus orders in BFD's history.”
During a 2022 blizzard that crippled the Buffalo region, many of Buffalo's fire apparatus were sidelined before and during the storm. A post-incident report showed that some aerial ladders didn't function and engine companies had inoperable pumps, limiting what responding firefighters could do. Many firefighters found themselves in apparatus with non-functioning heating systems during the storm.
More than a quarter of the fire apparatus in service during that storm were beyond NFPA's standard life for front-line apparatus, according to a local media report in 2023.
According to Pizarro, the program with Rosenbauer will lock in pricing, preventing it from increasing amid ongoing inflation concerns in the apparatus industry. The price will be spread over the 10-year agreement for each rig and Rosenbauer experts will be tasked with maintaining the rigs.
“Our police officers and firefighters need vehicles they can count on when someone calls for help,” Mayor Sean Ryan said during the announcement Wednesday. “For too long, Buffalo has relied on aging equipment that spends too much time in the repair shop. Fixing the basics means making sure our first responders have the tools to do their jobs safely and effectively. These investments will help us provide the reliable emergency services every Buffalo neighborhood deserves.”
Over 100 new vehicles will be delivered to the Buffalo Police Department in a nearly $2.1 million leasing program from the 2026-2027 budget.
The police department has already received 24 of the new vehicles. A total of 105 marked an unmarked vehicles will be delivered by January 2027.
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