A firefighter adjusts his mask while responding to a fire along NW National Ave. Saturday in Chehalis.
Riverside Fire Authority, the Chehalis Fire Department and Lewis County Fire District 6 will share a $695,170 grant to buy new safety equipment for their agencies, they announced last week.
“We jointly submitted a grant between RFA, District 6 and Chehalis to replace our self contained breathing apparatus,” said Chief Ken Cardinale of the Chehalis Fire Department and Fire District 6.
The packs and air cylinders have a 10- to 15-year lifespan. The agencies plan to buy more than 100 packs.
“The air packs protect firefighters from the life-threatening effects of breathing smoke and toxic materials during emergencies,” according to a press release from the RFA. “The three agencies’ current air packs must be permanently removed from service in 2021 in response to the requirements of the NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency) and the manufacturer.”
The grant funding and 10 percent matching fund requirement will be split between the three agencies with 16.6 percent going to Chehalis, 32.4 percent going to Fire District 6 and 51 percent going to the RFA.
The agencies have received bids from manufacturers and are currently reviewing them to find the best possible deal, Cardinale told The Chronicle.
“There was a wide range of bids — the bids come in per unit,” he said.
The apparatus at its most basic includes air tanks, tubes and a mask, but more complicated models feature communication systems interfaced with the units and thermal imaging cameras.
“When you go with all those bells and whistles there’s more things that can go wrong over the course of the years,” Cardinale said.
The systems have a set 10- to 15-year lifespan due to both the lifespan of the aluminum and fiberglass oxygen tanks and due to upgrades in technology and safety requirements, he said.
