2022-02 Hawaii Fire Department Performance Audit

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Vehicles tend to follow similar stages in their economic life cycles: • Initial purchase o Acquisition o Licensing o Preparation/commissioning into the fleet • Depreciation — A sharp depreciation in the value of the vehicle in the first years followed by a leveling out over time (salvage value) • Vehicle Repair and Maintenance o Repairs include component failures such as alternators, air compressors, fans, radiators, and similar components that fail prematurely o Repair costs tend to be manageable until primary drivetrain components fail o After the initial productive years of vehicle life, repair costs tend to increase over time o Maintenance includes sparkplugs, brakes, batteries, hoses, belts, filters, fluids, and similar work needed to be done to ensure efficient operation o Warranty costs typically cover most unforeseen premature failures for the first three to five years. o The period when repair and maintenance costs are low and the vehicle is performing adequately is referred to as its optimal age range • Vehicle Disposal o Vehicles should be retired when the depreciated value, also known as salvage value, approximately equals the lifetime repair and maintenance costs or when the vehicle reaches a predetermined target of either mileage or age or some combination of all the above. HFD continues to work with fragmented vehicle lists and does not collect data in a fashion that allows it - x to analyze downtime efficiency, or lifetime maintenance costs. Additionally, the department's fleet isnotalwaysalways optimized to work in the - geography to which it is assigned. During site visits, staff explained some of the challenges the faced including g Y g two-wheel drive ambulances that could not access the terrain on assist, . N a new pickup with body damage because of ground clearance, engines . - . New vehicle,body damage.Needed additonal ground clearance—Courtesy County Auditor 231Page