BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN).......Following through on a campaign pledge, Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan said the city's police and fire department will be getting a new fleet of vehicles - with some arriving almost instantly.
Ryan and key members of his administration made the announcement Wednesday morning flanked by new Rosenbauer fire engines and Ford Broncos and cruisers for the police department.
In all, during the next five years the Buffalo Police Department will get 334 new vehicles ranging from patrol cars to SUVs.
The city's fire department will received 28 new vehicles including 19 engines and five ladder trucks. Those will be delivered during the next decade.
Most will be under a lease-to-own package the Ryan administration has negotiated..
The new vehicles will help address a lingering problem for both the oolice and fire departments - namely vehicles that have long passed their useful lives.
""We shouldn't be replacing drive trains and transmissions when these vehicles have clearly cycled out," Ryan said.
Ryan said he has repeatedly heard from police officers and firefighters about just how bad so many of the vehicles are that they use.
"The city's fleet is in deplorable shape and has been that way for a long time," said Deputy Mayor Ben Swanekamp, the son of a Buffalo firefighter.
Fire Commissioner Daniel Pizarro echied that sentiment noting that some of his company's fleet are more than 20 years old when they should have been replaced a decade ago.
"Our units have aged out," Pizzaro said.
New fire engines can cost up to $1.2 million but come equipped with such key pieces of equipment as the Jaws of Life.
Ladder trucks can cost up to $1.8 million.
Shields said some of her offices are riding in cars with more than 200,000 miles and, in some cases, have rusted out floor boards.
"We need to do better," Shields said.
Buffalo begins long overdue upgrade of emergency vehicles
Buffalo begins long overdue upgrade of emergency vehicles
