City files suit against manufacturer

By Christine Laughren
Dec. 19, 2008    ·    4:53 p.m.

The City of Ypsilanti has had problem after problem with its new fire engine for a year running and Fire Chief Jon Ichesco said he has had enough.

Ichesco signed a complaint earlier this week with City Attorney Karl Barr to begin the process of filing a lawsuit against KME, of Pennsylvania, which built the $820,000 truck. The vehicle arrived Dec. 21, 2007, and has been almost nothing but trouble since that day Ichesco said.

“We have not had 30 consecutive days that it has been in service since we got it,” Ichesco said. “On the 21st (of this month) the warranty expires and it has not been fixed.”

The City bought the truck with money from a $670,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security. Since its arrival, the Fire Department has had issues with the ladder, the engine, the internal computers, drains, valves and hydraulics among other things. The City also spent $41,000 to raise two of the doors in the Fire Department garage so the truck would fit.

Ichesco said he tried communicating with the KME to get the issues fixed but has been unsuccessful. He said because the warranty is ending in a couple weeks, he had no other choice but to file a lawsuit.

“When I do speak with somebody I’ll get a lot of ‘try this’ and ‘try that,’ ” he said. "For $820,000 I should have more than ‘try this.’ ”

The City of Ypsilanti is not the only municipality that has had problems with KME. The City of East Providence, in Rhoad Island, purchased five trucks from KME and sued the company in 2004 for $2.5 million for new equipment and monetary damages according to an article in Firehouse.com.

Ichesco also raised his concern with the truck malfunctioning on the job. He said he is concerned he is going to arrive at a fire and the ladder or the truck's pumps won't work.

Ypsilanti firefighter, Jeffrey Davis said it is disappointing how KME is treating the department.

“The downtime on it is tremendous,” Davis said. “There is something wrong with it all the time.”

Assistant City Attorney Karl Barr said he spoke with Steve Cormier, General Counsel for KME earlier this afternoon. He said the City proposed revoking the acceptance of their contract with KME but the company is more than willing to sit down and talk.

“From what he has indicated they are very interested in fixing these problems and protecting the reputation of KME,” Barr said.

The City is arranging to meet with the company in the new year to talk about the issues the City has been having with the truck. Barr said he was unsure what the outcome of the meetings would be but he said he is glad to have the meeting.

“It is always better to sit down and at least try to work something out,” he said.

In the meantime, Barr said the warranty with the company would be extended.