Huntsville spent roughly half of its $34 million federal pandemic recovery funds on 21 new fire trucks to help keep up with massive population growth.

As the federal government handed out money to local governments during the COVID-19 pandemic, Huntsville spent nearly $18 million of its State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds on ladder trucks, pumper trucks and a hazardous materials truck. The city devoted the other half of the money to tourism and recreation, according to the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee.

“It’s hard to measure the impacts of adding or updating a fire truck fleet, but just having those 21 extra fire trucks is just an invaluable asset to our community,” said Penny Smith, the city’s finance director.