The Center for Public Safety Excellence® (CPSE®) Center for Innovation (CPSE CFI) has released our second Strategic Scan on Fire Department Leadership Perspectives on Apparatus Capital Purchasing and it can be downloaded here.

Data were gathered in October and November of 2025 with the Strategic Scan detailing the extent of cost and lead-time challenges, problems around aging fleet and maintenance, and concerns from front-line personnel and from authorities having jurisdiction. Fire Chiefs also indicated their use of adaptive strategies such as refurbishing and remounting apparatus, using reserve fleet, and modifying run cards.

Using the results, the Strategic Scan proposes six actionable takeaways:

  • Prioritize proactive capital planning.
  • Evaluate stock apparatus as a strategic alternative to fully custom builds.
  • Extend apparatus service life where feasible through refurbishment and remounting.
  • Engage front-line personnel early in apparatus replacement and maintenance decisions.
  • Strengthen communication with elected officials around cost, timelines, and service life.
  • Consider the use of cooperative purchasing and alternative funding mechanisms.

“Fire apparatus remains one of the most expensive and complex capital purchases a fire department makes. External market factors have made such purchases more challenging in recent years,” shared Preet Bassi, Chief Executive Officer of CPSE and the CPSE Center for Innovation.

The September 2025 United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing “Sound the Alarm: America’s Fire Apparatus Crisis” and the myriad of national press stories since that hearing highlight this challenge. This Strategic Scan seeks to define the challenge while also providing some actionable solutions gathered from the CPSE Community.

The Strategic Scans are part of our Actionable Research program, where we ask CFAI-accredited agencies and CPC Chief Fire Officer® designees how they are approaching up-and-coming issues. We utilize a panel of progressive, mission-oriented fire chiefs to help us develop survey questions and interpret the results.

CPSE launched the CPSE Center for Innovation in 2024 to serve as a catalyst for innovation in the fire and emergency service. As a trusted resource for innovative practices, the CPSE looks forward to giving back to the fire and emergency service through the CPSE CFI. Since our launch, the CPSE CFI has seated our Board of Directors, hired our inaugural Director,  launched our Innovation Museum, and convened our Industry Advisory Council.

The CPSE CFI’s five program areas, Actionable Research, Expert Finder, Innovation Museum, Innovation Training, and Insight Hub, will highlight innovative solutions developed by Commission on Fire Accreditation International® (CFAI) accredited agencies and Commission on Professional Credentialing® (CPC) designees and address an industry-wide gap in evidence-based decision making.

A special thank you to Marist University and Alexander Henderson, Ph.D., CTO, Associate Professor, for partnering with CPSE CFI on the Strategic Scan series. Dr. Henderson also serves as the Vice President of the CPSE CFI Board of Directors.

Download the CPSE CFI Strategic Scan on Fire Department Leadership Perspectives on Apparatus Capital Purchasinghere.

About CPSE CFI

The CPSE Center for Innovation serves as a catalyst for innovation in the fire and emergency service. A wholly owned 501 (c)(3) nonprofit subsidiary of CPSE, CPSE CFI will highlight innovative solutions developed by CPSE-accredited agencies and credentialed professionals and address an industry-wide gap in evidence-based decision making. Learn more at https://www.innovationcpse.org