Atlanta City Council approves nearly $18 million in funds for new fire trucks

ATLANTA — Months after an Atlanta City auditor’s report found one-third of the Atlanta Fire and Rescue Department’s trucks were past their nearly 20-year service life and another 20% of the fleet was out of service, the Atlanta City Council approved funding to buy 11 new fire trucks.

In August, Channel 2 Action News reported on the audit, sharing the findings on the fire department fleet’s condition.

The audit report found that as of January, “nearly one-third of fire apparatus were beyond their lifecycle” and at the end of 2023, a “Public Works’ consultant identified an immediate need to replace 15 fire apparatus.”

Soon after the audit came out, the Atlanta Department of Public Works shared plans with Channel 2 Action News about how it would work to address the issues highlighted in the report.

Following Monday’s city council meeting, steps to bolster the fire department fleet are officially underway, with $17.9 million approved to be spent on 11 new trucks for AFRD.

According to the announcement from the council, and supplementary documents, that includes “eight pumper trucks and three aerial trucks.”

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