Editor's note: Want a good insight into how private equity firms are ripping off American municipal governments when they purchase ambulances and fire trucks? Private equity–driven consolidation of the fire truck industry, led by
American Industrial Partners rolling multiple manufacturers into
REV Group (they monopolized the market) has sharply increased prices and delivery times for fire equipment, leaving departments like Los Angeles with aging, broken-down fleets they can't afford to repair or replace. As costs for trucks and parts have surged and wait times stretched to years, fire departments have been forced to operate with fewer working vehicles and tighter budgets. This is contributing to reduced capacity during major wildfires, demonstrating how greed is undermining essential public services. The same comparable ambulances with Ford or Mercedes chassis manufactured in China can be purchased for between
$30,000 to $60,000 (including all medical equipment) with delivery times up to 90 days. Imagine that? A
half million dollars (the cost of manufacturing an ambulance in the US increased faster than inflation at 300 percent) for one fucking ambulance in the US that you will be lucky to receive in a couple of years. At this rate private equity firms are going to force communities back to horse-drawn water carriages with bucket brigades to put fires out. It's not a supply chain problem, it's a greed problem. Have your water buckets ready...and eat crow as your cities burn...
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Emergency Prices: How Private Equity Captured the Ambulance Market
Emergency service costs have been going up for years, frustrating city officials. One reason seems to be private equity, which bought up ambulance makers and raised prices.
By
Matt Stoller and Dan Geller | April 11, 2026
In 2023, the city of Evanston, Illinois raised its ambulance fee from $1500 to $2000, with a $15 mileage charge tacked on. Like many municipalities, city officials and taxpayers have gotten used to ever-increasing prices for basic services, all bucketed under the "cost of living" crisis we're dealing with. In fact, yesterday the Michigan University consumer sentiment indicator hit the worst reading it has ever recorded, going all the way back to 1961. The endless increases in prices for all sorts of random necessities is a key reason.