The Mehlville Fire Protection District moved proactively to get ahead of production delays at car factories, continuing through at least May, in order to replace an administrative vehicle on time and on schedule.
Don Brown Chevrolet, which holds the state contract for the Chevy Tahoes that the fire district typically uses for its administrative vehicles for chiefs, told the fire district in January that GM has suspended the builds of all state contract vehicles due to a global microchip shortage that is affecting all car companies. The shortage was worsened by multiple fires at semiconductor factories, including one in Japan in March. Production at certain plants has been halted for months due to the shortages.