This is just predatory behavior by hedge funds on display. Those price increases are extreme and unfair. I didn't read the NY Times article, but got this is from AI in the Brave Browser:

"Private equity firms have significantly influenced the fire department software market, leading to substantial cost increases and reduced competition for volunteer fire departments. ESO Solutions, a major provider of software for fire departments, is backed by the private equity firm Vista Equity Partners, which manages over $100 billion in assets.

Vista Equity Partners acquired ESO in 2021, enabling a wave of acquisitions that consolidated the market. ESO has since acquired several key software platforms, including Emergency Reporting, FIREHOUSE Software, Station Check, eCore, and others, effectively dominating the sector.

This consolidation has led to sharp price hikes for essential software. For example, the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department in Connecticut saw its annual software cost rise from $795 to over $5,000 after ESO acquired the platform it used, a 530% increase.
Similarly, the Mesilla Fire Department in New Mexico experienced a tripling of its software costs, from $4,000 to $12,000 annually.

These price increases are particularly burdensome for volunteer departments, which make up 85% of the approximately 30,000 fire departments in the U.S. and often operate on tight budgets funded by community events like karaoke nights and silent auctions.

Critics argue that private equity firms are prioritizing profit over affordability and public safety. ESO has shut down or phased out lower-cost platforms, forcing departments to migrate to more expensive alternatives. In some cases, departments were told they would not receive data migration support or were charged for access to their own historical records.

Fire chiefs have described the experience as abusive, with one comparing it to “covering a black eye” after being taken advantage of by a vendor. The lack of transparency and limited alternatives have left many departments with little leverage to negotiate or resist price increases.

The trend is not limited to software. The same pattern of investor-backed consolidation and regulatory lobbying is now affecting other public safety technologies, such as drones, where companies like Skydio and BRINC have raised hundreds of millions in venture capital and are pushing for regulations that eliminate competition from lower-cost providers like DJI.

This raises concerns about the long-term impact on emergency response capabilities, especially in rural areas where budget constraints are most severe".