WASHINGTON — An audit released about the D.C. Fire and EMS Department claims its fleet of fire engines, ambulances and other vehicles is in “overall poor condition.”
The Washingtonian reported that the department ordered the audit this past summer after several complaints about the city’s emergency vehicles.
D.C.’s fire truck and ambulance fleet is overworked, according to the audit.
“The apparatus inventory we conducted revealed a fleet that is aging, showing signs of excessive wear-and-tear, and in overall poor condition that is reflective of years of hard, urban emergency driving compounded by unstructured and deferred preventative maintenance and repairs,” the audit found.
The report also charged that the fire and EMS department keeps its vehicles longer than an ideal 15-year lifespan, the latter half of which is recommended to spend as reserve units, according to the report.
Even with the department’s announcement of acquiring 30 new and used ambulances, the maintenance problems are creating gaps in emergency services.
The audit found that between 70 and 86 percent of the emergency fleet is available to respond, compared with an industry standard of 95 percent, according to the report.
“The audit shows that there is not an accountable system to ensure that our fleet is repaired, accounted for and replaced,” Councilmember Tommy Wells said in a statement. “Our ambulances and fire trucks are critically important to public safety and need to be in the best repair possible so they can quickly get to residents in all parts of the city.”
Councilmember Wells will hold a hearing about the audit’s results Dec. 4.