CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Horry County Fire Rescue says mechanical issues continue to force the department to keep more than $2 million worth of new KME fire trucks off the streets.
News13 has been following issues with the department’s new engines for more than a year.
Horry County Spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier says Horry County Fire Rescue’s Engine 4 (Forestbrook), Ladder 1 (Socastee), Engine 39 (Carolina Forest) and Squad 1 (Socastee) are not responding to emergencies due to coolant issues.
According to documents provided to News13, three of the rigs have been out of service since November 2016. A tanker also remains out of service due to a vehicle accident.
“Sadly to say, with all of the excitement we’ve had with the new ones coming online, we’ve had some manufacturer issues,” Horry County Councilman and Public Safety Committee Chairman Al Allen said.
Horry County would not publicly comment on why the trucks have been out of service for weeks or when they would get fixed. The county also didn’t respond when asked if its delayed payments until the issues are resolved or if leaders knew about previous issues with the manufacturer.
News13 asked Allen that was any indication the county was pursuing legal opinion or options.
“I’m not at liberty to comment on that now, but the county is attempting to work through some things with them,” Allen replied.
The four trucks with mechanical issues are part of a nearly $8 million deal Horry County inked with KME in 2014. It purchased 10 engines, one ladder truck, one tower truck and a pumper from the manufacturer to begin replacing its aging fleet. The deal also included loose equipment.
Horry County charged News13 almost $200 for more than 300 pages worth of maintenance records for the county’s 13 new KME trucks. According to the documents, the county received the trucks in two batches in September 2015.
The maintenance records show issues and warranty work on some of the trucks started just weeks after delivery. Technicians logged in the reports almost 800 hours spent diagnosing, troubleshooting, fixing problems and addressing warranty work between October 2015 and October 2016. The majority of issues noted in the service orders were mechanical – including siren problems, alarms going off and leaks.
“The more we grow, the more demand its going to put on to our services and use it’s going to put on this new equipment,” Allen said.
News13 reached out to Horry County Fire Rescue Chief Joseph Tanner to talk about the issues the department is having with its KME engines, but our request was denied. Instead, Bourcier sent a statement, saying: “We are engaged with KME in an effort to resolve ongoing issues the county has experienced with respect to the fire apparatus.”
KME also refused to comment when asked about Horry County Fire Rescue’s issues and when the situation would get resolved.
Despite the issues, the county says it hasn’t paid money out of pocket for the repairs because “current issues are to be covered under warranty.”
But right now, the county says it is gambling with time.
“[The] current reserve fleet is older, however they meet the pump test requirements,” Chief Tanner said in an e-mail to News13. “They are high maintenance items due to their age and wear. Repair parts for the engine and cab components are becoming obsolete, and no longer in production, especially for the oldest units.”
Horry County has since switched manufacturers to finish out the scope of work to replace its aging fleet of fire trucks. It signed a $4.9 million contract for eight additional custom engines and a ladder truck.
Horry County Fire Rescue says it expects to begin receiving the equipment in the coming weeks.
