The Atlanta City Council approved legislation to provide $4.7 million in funding to purchase additional equipment for the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department (AFRD), according to a press release.

With the funding, AFRD will acquire:

• three Spartan 1,500 GPM Fire Pumpers and

• three Spartan 100-ft Tractor Drawn Aerial Support vehicles.

The vehicles will be purchased from Peach State Emergency Vehicles, according to city council documents.

“As Atlanta continues to grow, so does the need for additional capacity to effectively respond to emergency situations,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said. “The expansion of our AFRD fleet will help decrease response times, increase our readiness and improve the overall safety of our communities."

Government Fleetpreviously reported that in 2021, the city council approved legislation in support of the city's plan to acquire additional apparatus for the fleet after AFRD and the Office of Fleet Services established specific vehicles are required to guarantee the department will continually provide emergency services and meet the needs in Atlanta.

"This equipment is vital for the advancement of AFRD," Fire Chief Rod Smith said. "Over the last several months, I have spoken in depth with city administration about how the Atlanta Fire Department is operating diligently to serve our communities. I thank Mayor Dickens and the City Council for their willingness and continued support to preserve the best-in-class service to the citizens and property of the City of Atlanta, together."

The fire fleet announcement is part of a larger effort by the city to further invest in its public safety departments. That includes putting $69.3 million toward fire station renovations throughout the city.