DC badly needs fire trucks. How DC Fire’s chief defends a $25M no-bid deal

D.C.’s fire department is hoping to get final approval on a $25 million deal that could bring 18 badly needed fire trucks – and the fire union has questions about the no-bid contract.

The D.C. Fire and EMS Department deputy chief in charge of getting the new fire trucks previously was a salesman who sold the manufacturer’s trucks in the D.C. area.

Fire trucks take a beating in D.C. Two-thirds of the trucks are at risk of failing this year, according to a DC FEMS report to the D.C. Council.

“D.C.’s really tough on fire trucks, and it’s volume more than anything else. It’s call volume,” Chief John Donnelly said in an interview with the News4 I-Team.

The I-Team saw one engine that’s 23 years old, making it practically an antique in D.C. Another ladder truck is 21 years old. Both are in the reserve fleet but are still in use because fire engines and ladder trucks are down 40-50% of the time for maintenance or repair, D.C. Fire told councilmembers.

Donnelly said the department has millions budgeted for new fire trucks, but D.C.’s usual suppliers have been delayed and unable to keep up with demand.

“I want fire trucks. I am agnostic on the manufacturer,” Donnelly said.

To solve the problem, D.C. Fire wanted to move fast.

“So, there wasn’t a bid in this process,” Donnelly said.

Instead, he said the department used a different, approved method and did what he called “market research” starting in 2024.

News4 asked, did every company get the same chance to bid on the same number of trucks at the same time?

“So, no, not in a sense of sending it out,” Donnelly said.

Donnelly said the department’s market research process included phone calls with manufacturers, but provided no specifics to the I-Team.

To buy 18 engines worth $25 million, D.C. is turning to HME, a Michigan manufacturer that would be new to the District. The company has past ties to the current deputy chief in charge of getting the trucks, Michael Poetker.

“He’s in charge of our fleet. He’s in charge. He oversees the purchasing of apparatus, the repair of apparatus, the assignment of apparatus and maintenance of apparatus,” Donnelly said.

News4 asked who made the first call to HME in the market research process.

“I believe he did,” Donnelly said, referring to Poetker.

News4 asked about Poetker’s relationship with HME.

“So, in the past, he has worked for HME,” Donnelly said.

“Doing?” News4 asked.

“Sales,” Donnelly said.

“So, he was a salesman for this company?” News4 asked.

“Yes,” Donnelly replied.

Poetker was employed for several years by RedStorm Fire & Rescue Apparatus, which is the sole dealer for HME trucks in the D.C. area.

The firefighters union’s concern

David Hoagland, the president of the D.C. firefighters union, had questions. The union works with the department to evaluate new equipment.

“It’s not uncommon for a firefighter to have part-time jobs, right? But usually it’s banging nails. Usually, it’s roofing or you’re plowing roads, something like that, right?” he said in an interview.

Poetker’s previous second job was different, Hoagland said.

“Now he’s turning around and selling those same fire trucks to the department that he works for,” he said.

News4 asked Donnelly about his conversations with Poetker about the deal.

“I didn’t call him down to the office to say, ‘Hey you need to do this or that, or stop it.’ But I’m sure that in passing we have had a conversation that said, ‘You’re not associated with HME anymore, right?’” he said.

A firefighter since 2004, Poetker stopped selling HME trucks in 2022, according to his filing with the D.C. Board of Ethics and Government Accountability.

Donnelly said D.C. ethics officials said there was no conflict between his past job and the new contract, which is the largest fire department purchase in more than a decade, according to D.C. records.

The ethics office wouldn’t talk about it to the I-Team, and our request to talk with Poetker was denied.

“I feel like our processes are strong, right? And we have a strong set of ethics. We have a set of core values. If there’s something – if something goes wrong, I would absolutely deal with it,” Donnelly said.

What we learned about the fire truck manufacturer

Hoagland said he would like to know more about what departments using HME trucks say about how they hold up before such a large purchase is made in D.C.

“I think it’s reasonable to give them a chance, but the size of the order is what’s most concerning us,” he said.

HME lists dozens of sales to departments all over the country but not many to big cities aside from Cleveland and Detroit.

“I’ve talked to the Detroit Fire Department. They have them. They’re fine,” Donnelly said.

A deputy commissioner in Detroit told News4: “The [HME] apparatus are holding up well and are still being utilized [on] our front line.”

But the Detroit firefighters union disagreed.

“They’re terrible,” union official Jerry Stewart told us, complaining about design and durability and claiming the trucks haven’t held up as well as some much older trucks still on the job.

Closer to D.C., Howard County has one HME truck, but that department said they wouldn’t talk about their equipment.

The I-Team reached out to HME several times to ask about the D.C. contract, concerns raised about quality and Poetker’s connection. They did not respond. Neither did RedStorm, which previously paid Poetker as a sales representative.

On their website, HME says: “We prioritize product quality, performance on the fireground, apparatus safety and support after the sale.”

“They’re built to our spec. They’re built to the national standard. They’re third-party tested to make sure that they’re the ones we need. And for some reason, if they aren’t, we’ll cancel the order,” Donnelly said.

Mark Williams, a former teacher at D.C.’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts, was found guilty of eight counts of sexually abusing a 17-year-old student. He claimed their sexual relationship did not begin until she was 18 and in college. She testified about sex acts in the school when she was 17 and he was 47. News4’s Tracee Wilkins reports.

What’s next

The D.C. Council has the final say, and they’re expected to get the materials for the contract in a few weeks.

DC Fire told News4 it has contracts with two other companies to deliver 16 pumper trucks by 2029.

As for HME, Donnelly said they’re the only company that said they could deliver a new truck within 12 months and then deliver one new truck a month. He’s hoping that happens.

Reported by Ted Oberg; produced by Rick Yarborough; shot by Carlos Olazagasti, Steve Jones and Jeff Piper; edited by Jeff Piper