Pendergrass-area firefighters request council help to replace aging breathing apparatus

A representative identified in the meeting as David told the Pendergrass City Council that roughly half of the district’s self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) packs are approaching a 15-year recommended service life and urged the council to authorize funding to replace them.

David said the district has 28 SCBA packs across its coverage area and that 13 are nearing the 15-year recommendation; five of those are based in Pendergrass. He said a preliminary procurement quote for five packs was “about $48,000” (as stated in the meeting) and that the department would like to purchase five now and rotate additional replacements over time if funding permits. David said the packs enable safe operations during structure fires, vehicle fires and incidents involving overheated batteries or hazardous off-gassing.

David described operational details for the equipment: the cylinders are rated about 4,500 psi, commonly called “45‑minute bottles,” but in active work crews typically deplete a bottle in 20–25 minutes during fire operations; departments keep spare cylinders to allow quick swapping. He also said newer packs weigh roughly 25 pounds compared with older packs of about 35–40 pounds. David asked the council to refer the purchase to the city’s “Spash” funding process (term used in the meeting) for consideration at the November vote; he said that if the funding is approved at that level he would return to the council to finalize purchase.

Council members asked several procurement and compatibility questions. One council member warned against selecting brands that are incompatible with the rest of neighboring departments’ equipment; the speaker recommended prioritizing compatibility with existing gear and named “Scott” and “NSA” as brands that would create system incompatibility for their region (as described in the meeting). David said the department can provide additional vendor quotes if the council requests three formal quotes.

The requester also raised an apparent reporting item about a state tax/deduction program for donations to first‑responder organizations; council staff said they would investigate and report back.

No formal council vote or appropriation was recorded in the transcript excerpt. David stated the purchase request would be taken to the city’s “Spash” vote in November and, if approved, would return to the council for final authorization.

Ending: The council did not take final action during the meeting. Staff said they will check procurement requirements, gather any additional required quotes and return to the council after the funding vote referenced as the “Spash” process.