Atlanta leader seeks millions to replace partly defunct fire fleet

ATLANTA - Atlanta city leaders say the state of emergency services in Atlanta is in crisis as fire officials battle ongoing issues with a partly-defunct vehicle fleet and new data showing a 50% increase in calls for service.

Atlanta Fire Chief Rodrick Smith told members of council the number of calls for fires and technical rescues has doubled in comparison to last year. In the face of crippling equipment failures department-wide, city leaders are sounding the alarm.

"It’s a pain in Atlanta’s side that previous administrations have failed to address for well over a decade," said Councilman Dustin Hillis. He serves as the Public Safety Committee chair on the Atlanta City Council.

Hillis said it's a pain he feels even in his sleep.

The city of Atlanta faces an ongoing shortage for fire equipment as calls for service have doubles in the last year. (FOX 5)

"It keeps me up at night," he said. "It gives me nightmares thinking about these scenarios where people lose their assets, much less their lives, because of deficiencies in the city’s fire and rescue fleet." 

Atlanta’s ailing fleet of fire department vehicles is well overdue for replacement after years of neglect, and as fire and technical rescue calls jumped from 15 last year to 31 this year.

"We had five or six fire apparatuses out of service. In just a few years we have triple or quadruple that," Hillis said. 

At the city council’s public safety committee meeting Monday, Smith admitted that a loss of operable fire engines and ladder trucks has led them to temporarily shut down at least three fire stations.

"There are currently 17 apparatus that are fully out of service, and there are quite a handful more that have lost some of their capabilities," he said.

The city of Atlanta faces an ongoing shortage for fire equipment as calls for service have doubles in the last year. (FOX 5)

City Councilwoman Keisha Sean-Waites told FOX 5 even with the complex plan fire officials put in place to meet a growing demand for service, she has concerns about the safety of residents—in south Atlanta especially.

"My priority is for those three stations that are down, all of them are on the Southside of town, specific to Dist. 9 and 12 that we need to get those units back open and, frankly, this is an urgency because this is a life or death matter," she said. "Seconds matter."

The city of Atlanta faces an ongoing shortage for fire equipment as calls for service have doubles in the last year. (FOX 5)

But officials say it could be a matter of years before the first of those trucks are replaced due to supply chain issues that have created a backlog of orders nationwide.

"18 months, and that is the very best case scenario," Hillis said. "But, likely 24 to 36 months."

In the meantime, council members say they’ve reached out to the mayor’s office to see what can be done to expedite the process of approving funding on their end.

The city of Atlanta faces an ongoing shortage for fire equipment as calls for service have doubles in the last year. (FOX 5)

Hillis said the comparison to fire vehicle fleet purchases in other neighboring metro areas like Nashville and Charlotte have only made the issues in Atlanta more glaring. 

He hopes city leaders will consider a recurring investment of at least $12 million dollars each year for the next three years to try and address the problem.