The 1990’s were an extremely difficult time for the Apparatus Division. The city had a junk bond rating and Congress established the Commission on Budget and Financial Priorities to oversee city expenditures. We no longer dealt with city hall. This occurred at a time when the number of runs exploded. Engine 10, always busy, came into the 1980’s doing around 2500 runs a year. In 1995 they ran over 8900. The shelf live on apparatus was cut considerably, and it was a hard sell to explain to Congress that the DCFD really DID need more apparatus. This photo shows reserve apparatus parked on the street (and in the neighborhood) as mechanics worked around the clock to service first line apparatus.
Kevin Byrne