Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto announced a lawsuit on Sept. 15 against fire truck manufacturers, dealers and a national trade association alleging a multi-year scheme to fix prices, rig bids, restrict supply and reduce competition in the fire apparatus industry. The suit alleges that the conduct increased costs for the city of Los Angeles and communities across California.

The lawsuit, brought by the Los Angeles and the People of the State of California, alleges that defendants REV Group, LLC et al transformed a competitive fire truck industry into a highly concentrated market. It further alleges that defendants used their market power to increase prices and extend delivery times for fire departments that depend on the vehicles to protect lives and property.

”Fire trucks are essential public safety tools that our firefighters depend on every day to protect the people of Los Angeles,” Feldstein Soto said. “We allege that these companies manipulated the market for this critical equipment, forcing Angelenos to pay more and fire departments to wait longer for the trucks they need. That is unacceptable. We are bringing this action to recover what Los Angeles taxpayers lost and to restore fair competition to this market.”

According to the complaint, prices for fire apparatus have doubled and, in some instances, tripled over the past decade, far outpacing inflation. The lawsuit alleges that manufacturers and defendants coordinated or colluded on prices, output and bids, including through the exchange of commercially sensitive pricing and sales information. According to the complaint, the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Associa-tion maintained a database containing detailed transaction information supplied by its members, including specific prices, and distributed market information among competing manufacturers.

For information, visit cityattorney.lacity.gov.