On Wednesday, people across the nation will take a little time to observe National First Responders Day.

Though Pennsylvania had its official observance a month ago, any day’s a good one to say thanks to firefighters, EMTs, police and dispatchers who run toward things everyone else runs from.

Locally, many of those men and women are volunteers who answer the call during or after their full-time jobs. They deserve our gratitude always, and our help whenever we can.

But gratitude and help don’t put a new pumper in the firehouse.

Across our area, fire companies are finding that the equipment they need has become harder to get, far more expensive and slower to arrive than anyone imagined 10 years ago.

The story hits close to home.

For years, Kovatch Mobile Equipment, KME, built custom fire trucks in Nesquehoning. Its engines served departments all over the nation.

In 2016, the company was sold and in 2021, the new owners, REV Group, announced it would move KME production elsewhere and the Nesquehoning plant finished its last truck — an aerial ladder for Lehighton.

REV said the consolidation would improve quality and delivery times.

The story didn’t end when the plant closed. In 2022, the remaining buildings were purchased by One Industrial Holdings, led in part by Kathy Kovatch Reaman, daughter of KME founder John “Sonny” Kovatch.

The company sought to preserve the site’s role in the fire service industry and help offset the loss of nearly 400 jobs.

One of its first tenants was Bulldog Fire & Emergency Apparatus, which hired former KME employees and established a refurbishment center in Nesquehoning, one of six sites it operates across the country.

For local fire chiefs, it meant at least some specialized repair and rebuilding work would remain available close to home.

But refurbishment work and repairs are not the same thing as building new fire trucks, and the loss of one of the nation’s longtime independent manufacturers continues to be felt throughout the fire service.

Instead, fire companies nationwide have seen prices and wait times move in the wrong direction. An engine that cost a Florida company about $550,000 in 2022 cost $915,000 late last year.

A lawsuit against the consolidated ownership claims a vehicle worth $1 million today would’ve cost $500,000 in the mid-2010s, and that waits have grown considerably longer than the 18 months they used to be.

These days, a handful of corporations build most of the nation’s fire trucks.

Corporations claim the COVID pandemic, supply chain shortages and an increasing demand. They say price increases have slowed down and wait times are getting shorter.

But none of that explains why a market that at one time had dozens of independent builders like KME has so few places left to turn when one of them falters.

Think about what it means for a local volunteer fire company. Maybe it has a 30-year-old engine, or another truck that’s not in service.

That department had a chance to get a new engine in a year or so. Now it has to wait years, and hope the old equipment keeps working, because if it breaks, repairs may cost more or it may not meet current safety standards.

With the cost of a truck at more than $1 million, a company that runs on chicken barbecues, raffle baskets and a small stipend from their borough or township budget must either borrow heavily, ask taxpayers for more or just make do.

Used trucks that were once a lifeline to these struggling companies are more scarce and pricier because everyone else is shopping for them, too.

The strain doesn’t stay in the firehouse. Volunteers who already spend time training are forced to raise finds and fill out grant applications.

Local governments sometimes raise taxes to help, and residents face the risk of a slow response if local trucks are down and help comes from farther away.

Add to that the fact that the volunteer numbers that have been thinning for years just because many people are pulled in other directions of life.

Most residents have never set foot in the local firehouse, but they feel the impact in a time of need.

Safe, reliable fire equipment is not optional. Communities can’t just decide to delay buying emergency equipment indefinitely. When a truck nears the end of its life, replacement becomes reality.

Pennsylvania’s lawmakers have noticed. The state House held hearings on the issues in March and a growing number of cities, counties and state attorneys general have started lawsuits against manufacturers, alleging price fixing and claims of monopolies.

The flashing lights that roll toward danger depend more on just a volunteer’s courage. They depend on trucks that are affordable and easy to get. First Responders Day shouldn’t end with just a pat on the back.

The best way to honor those doing the work is to make sure they have the tools to do the job and a fair chance to answer calls.

As we honor them, let’s start asking about who builds their trucks, how much they cost and how long it takes to get one.

The answer used to be just down the road.

ED SOCHA | tneditor@tnonline.com

Ed Socha is a retired newspaper editor with more than 45 years’ experience in community journalism.

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.