Andhra Pradesh Government Expands Emergency Response With 58 New Fire Vehicles
CM Chandrababu Naidu flags off a ₹40-crore fleet as part of a phased programme to modernise the state's fire and emergency services.
AMARAVATI, AUGUST 16, 2026: Andhra Pradesh has strengthened its firefighting and emergency-response capacity with the addition of 58 new vehicles worth around ₹40 crore.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu flagged off the vehicles on the Seed Access Road on Friday as part of the state's ongoing effort to modernise the Fire Services Department.
The vehicles were procured using funds from the 15th Finance Commission.
NEW FLEET
The newly introduced fleet comprises three major categories:
25 advanced firefighting vehicles costing ₹18.68 crore
20 water bowsers costing ₹14.79 crore
13 quick-response multipurpose firefighting vehicles costing ₹6.37 crore
Officials said the new vehicles would improve response times during fires, accidents and other emergencies.
WATER BOWSERS
Each of the 20 water bowsers has a capacity of 14,000 litres.
The additional water supply is expected to help firefighters during prolonged operations, particularly in urban and industrial areas where local water sources can be quickly depleted during major fires.
QUICK-RESPONSE VEHICLES
The 13 multipurpose vehicles are designed to operate in narrow and congested locations, where larger firefighting vehicles may face difficulties reaching emergency sites.
The advanced firefighting vehicles are also expected to improve access to incidents in rural and forest areas.
GOVERNMENT'S MODERNISATION PLAN
Naidu said the government was modernising the Fire Services Department in phases.
According to the Chief Minister, the state has planned procurement of modern firefighting vehicles and equipment at a total estimated cost of ₹252.86 crore, using both Central and state funds.
The government had already deployed 65 fire tenders in the first phase, at a cost of ₹33 crore.
The 58 vehicles flagged off on Friday constitute the second phase.
Naidu said additional fire tenders and equipment would be introduced during the third phase.
FIRE STATION INFRASTRUCTURE
The modernisation programme also covers fire-station infrastructure.
The government is constructing 17 new fire station buildings across Andhra Pradesh, with an estimated cost of ₹2.25 crore per building.
Officials said construction of six buildings has already been completed.
The government is also undertaking the modernisation of 36 existing fire stations.
OFFICIALS PRESENT
Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, Fire Services Director General Venkataramana and other senior officials attended the vehicle-launch programme.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The state is expected to continue the phased procurement of firefighting equipment and vehicles while expanding and modernising fire-station infrastructure, with the broader objective of improving response time, firefighting capacity and emergency preparedness across Andhra Pradesh.
