CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – Across the Lowcountry, law enforcement agencies are waiting months or even years to receive cars, fire trucks and other needed emergency vehicles.

Delays have forced departments to use older equipment, creating an extremely frustrating and even demoralizing work environment.

The problem began with the pandemic and now agencies are still facing long delays in getting the emergency vehicles they need.

“When I started a long time ago, things didn’t take as long as they do now,” said Charleston Fire and Rescue Division Chief Trae Wright.

It’s making an already dangerous job much more difficult for the Colleton County Fire Department, which ordered two Ford pickup trucks and six ambulances three years ago.

“Things keep getting delayed. They’ll call us and say, ‘Hey, your truck is scheduled for production this day.’ And then they’ll call back a little bit later and say, ‘Sorry, they pushed him,'” said KC Campbell, public information officer for Colleton Fire.

Those eight vehicles have not arrived yet and the department needs a new truck with a ladder on top. Campbell said they were told it would take four years.

“It takes too long,” Campbell said. “You have to be very careful.”

“I don’t know what the problem is. It is never the dealer; it’s always the manufacturer,” said Hanahan Police Department Police Chief Rick Gebhardt.

Receiving the vehicle is just the beginning of the process…

Charleston Fire and Rescue waited two years to get two trucks, but they still can’t use them until they are properly outfitted and equipped with all the amenities, including lights, radios and computer systems.

“It’s very frustrating, that’s what it is,” Wright said. “You wait and wait and wait, and there is always a delay. There is always an excuse; “There is always a delay.”

There are a limited number of South Carolina companies that can properly equip a police vehicle, adding to the backlog.

“Everyone is getting new vehicles, and everyone needs to have those upgraded vehicles, and there’s a delay in that because they can only make a limited amount at a time,” Wright said. “You’re at the mercy of everyone else and sometimes that’s demoralizing.”

The problem affects all law enforcement agencies; including fire and police departments and rescue operations.

The Hanahan Police Department ordered six patrol cars about six months ago and the dealership just received the vehicles, but it will take some time to upgrade them.

“It can take a long time to finish the vehicle and do it properly; that way it can operate efficiently and all the lights work to ensure it is safe for everyone involved,” Gebhardt said.

If the needed vehicle takes months or years to deliver, what happens if the existing equipment breaks down?

Colleton’s new engine was hit during Tropical Storm Debby on the interstate.

“I mean, on an $800,000 purchase you don’t want to lose that aspect; It can’t be replaced,” Campbell said.

Live 5 began investigating this issue when the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department received funding for a new mobile command unit with the order quoted for years.

In May 2023, a perfect example of this issue affecting operations occurred when a Michael Burham’s multi-day chase It showed the department how necessary a new command unit was with older technologies and limited cell phone service that made searching difficult.

“When we have these large manhunts, or these events or situations occur, we need a centralized mobile command post where we can communicate with all the other agencies,” said Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis.

They don’t have it yet.

Solutions are limited as the problem arises from supply chain issues and the number of companies that can do the job.

“You’re fighting,” Wright explained. “You’re robbing Peter to pay Paul, per se, but you’re fighting these companies trying to put them in a position so they can upgrade your vehicle.”

Now, agencies have to plan years in advance and be extremely cautious with the materials they have and invest hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars in maintenance.

“It can be difficult to plan ahead because we don’t know if the vehicle will have any type of problem,” Campbell said.

“It has been very difficult to predict those things. In the past, you could buy a truck and you would be fine for a while,” Gebhardt said. “Now, as soon as you get one, you have to think about how you’re going to replace it because it’s taking so long.”

Some departments have hired or created positions for mechanics and fleet managers to keep their vehicles on the road as long as possible while they continue to wait.

“You start to see the fact that you are investing more money in maintenance than in anything else, and that takes resources away from other budget items. You’re waiting for other vehicles to come into service,” Wright said. “That’s a problem; It’s demoralizing. “You sit there and think, ‘We’re going to get this,’ but no.”

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