ATLANTA — The Atlanta Fire Rescue Department has taken five fire vehicles out of service after they were involved in a series of incidents.
The department said that while it continues to maintain citywide deployments, it was aware of concerns regarding apparatus availability for fire response.
Before the weekend, three fire department vehicles were already out of service due to accident-related damage, the department said.
Over the past weekend, two more frontline units were involved in incidents, leading to their being taken out of service.
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In the time since, one unit has been evaluated and put back online, but the other is still out for repair.
“Currently, four frontline apparatus remain out of service due to accident-related damage,” the department said in a statement. “An additional unit that was temporarily out of service due to a mechanical issue is also in the process of returning to service.”
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The department said it operates both frontline and reserve apparatus to ensure they can provide services to the city.
When units are taken out of frontline service, reserve units are used to maintain coverage, according to officials.
While the department says it’s working, members of the Atlanta Firefighters Union are publicly saying the fire department isn’t ready to handle it all.
Couching it in terms of FIFA-readiness, union representatives said Tuesday that nearly 20% of the department’s fleet is out of service.
“Your Atlanta Fire Department is not fully operation,” an online post, accompanied by video, says. “Six engines down, 19.4% of Atlanta’s fire engines out of service, 15,000+ emergency calls impacted every year.”
The number of fleet vehicles out of service is similar to the concerns flagged by the Atlanta Auditor’s Office in August 2024.
Channel 2 Action News reported at the time how the auditor’s office noted that close to 20% of the fleet was not receiving regular maintenance or had been removed from service due to lack of repair, and lack of repair personnel.
After the report became public, the Atlanta City Council approved about $18 million to boost the fire department. The funding was supposed to pay for 11 new firetrucks to be used by the department.
In 2025, the city council also approved new measures to put more firefighters into service to address city safety needs.
The union’s comments about fleet readiness and preparation to serve safety needs ahead of the FIFA World Cup coming to Atlanta also come amidst a series of negotiations over the union’s contract with the Cit of Atlanta.
Channel 2 Action News has reported on the developments involving the union contract as city officials and union representatives continue to work on finding a resolution to ongoing issues over pay, scheduling and even union leadership.
The fire union sued the city over contract issues in March.
Channel 2 Action News reached out to the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department twice on Tuesday to learn more about the current status of the city’s fire fleet and is waiting for a response to the latest claims about readiness and fleet operations.
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