China makes its first indigenous fire trucks

BEIJING - China has built its first ever indigenous fire trucks and will release these to the provinces early next year. The country had earlier either imported or modified ordinary trucks into fire engines.

Chinese automaker China First Automobile Works Group (CFAWG), based in Changchun city in Jilin province will deliver 106 indigenously-developed fire engines to five provinces by the end of February 2011, Xinhua reported Monday.

The automaker and the department of public security of Jilin jointly developed the fire truck, said an official named Zhao Fangkuan.

Chinese fire brigades earlier purchased over 1,500 fire trucks annually, either importing them or modifying ordinary trucks.