Milwaukee Fire Department: City leaders OK $10M to replace aging rigs

MFD: City leaders OK $10M to replace aging rigs

Milwaukee's fire chief has warned that the city's fire trucks are getting old. Soon, he will have another $10 million to replace some of those aging rigs. But there is a catch.

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee's fire chief has warned that the city's fire trucks are getting old. Soon, he will have another $10 million to replace some of those aging rigs. But there is a catch. 

Addressing aging fire trucks

What we know:

Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said his department has had to borrow fire trucks from neighboring departments as older rigs are being repaired. Lipski recently said three ladder trucks failed recent stress tests. 

Lipski originally asked the city for $14 million for 2025. The mayor's budget proposal was just $2 million. On Tuesday, Nov. 25, the Common Council passed $10 million for new fire trucks. 

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The mayor vetoed part of that, meaning a total of $6 million would go to new fire trucks. 

Veto overridden

By the numbers:

On Tuesday, the Milwaukee Common Council voted unanimously to override the veto, meaning it is back to $10 million for new fire trucks. 

That money takes $4 million away from a new Department of Public Works building, something the mayor said is needed. 

What they're saying:

"We will continue to have to borrow a million dollars a year, at least, in order to stick it into this building that, you know, I would rather have us in a position where we're able to move on from that and not be in a position where we're borrowing millions of dollars a year, or at least a million dollars a year, in order to sink it into a building that needs to be replaced," said Mayor Cavalier Johnson. 

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"This common council here. I don’t know that I’ve every seen anything quite like it. They came together and they decided: you know what, let’s get the fire department some of these fire trucks. And I applaud them for that. It felt nice. It felt good to be heard. My mission is protecting the public safety, and I was given a little bit better opportunity to do that here today," said Chief Lipski. 

How much can $10M buy?

Dig deeper:

Chief Lipski told FOX6 News the $10 million could buy as many as three fire engines and one or two ladder trucks. But here's the catch. Lipski said it could take 18 months to three years to get those rigs after ordering them. 

The Common Council's final budget adds $9 million from what the mayor vetoed.