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El Paso County emergency managers seek $175,000 for hazmat PPE and vehicle upgrades
Summary
The Pikes Peak Office of Emergency Management asked county commissioners to approve $25,000 to replace aging hazardous-materials personal protective equipment and $150,000 to outfit two medium rescue response truck boxes to improve hazmat response and carry lithium‑ion remediation kits.
Andrew Notbomb, director of the Pikes Peak Office of Emergency Management, told the El Paso County Board of Commissioners during a briefing that the office is requesting two one‑time budget allocations: $25,000 to replace personal protective equipment for the county hazardous materials response team and $150,000 to outfit two medium rescue hazmat truck boxes.
Notbomb said the county’s hazardous materials response team follows National Fire Protection Association standards and that PPE generally reaches the end of its field-service life at about 10 years. “PPE is a vital necessity, for our hazardous materials response team,” he said, adding that expired PPE can still be used for training but not for field operations.
The PPE replacement list Notbomb provided includes self‑contained breathing apparatus (SCBAs), bunker gear for flammable‑liquid response, head protection, fire and chemical boots, and flame‑resistant gloves. He said the office intends to move from one‑time replacements toward a recurring replacement schedule rather than facing large lump‑sum costs as gear ages.
Notbomb also outlined a $150,000 request to outfit two medium‑duty response truck boxes at $75,000 apiece. He said the county’s current light rescue trucks (described as 2‑50 or 3/4‑ton trucks) “do not meet the operational requirements for hazard specialists,” and that the heavy response rig known as “the hammer” is about 20 years old and would cost roughly $750,000 to replace. The medium rigs — to be built on larger 550 chassis — would provide larger cargo areas and faster, more agile response while allowing the county to reuse equipment boxes on replacement chassis in the future.
Jim Rubitsky of El Paso County Hazmat said the additional cargo capacity would allow crews to carry specialized lithium‑ion battery response kits. “We have seen a significant uptick in the amount of lithium‑ion battery responses just in El Paso County,” Rubitsky said, and described smaller e‑scooter and other consumer batteries as a mounting source of calls. He said the kits include specific drums and neutralizing solutions designed to reduce the risk of reignition and thermal runaway.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about cost and quantities. Commissioner Vanderwerp confirmed the vehicle request covers two trucks at $75,000 each for the boxes and outfitting; Notbomb said fleet is handling chassis procurement separately. Vice Chair Broomar praised the approach as “very forward looking” and noted the efficiency of designing equipment that can be reused on future chassis.
No vote or formal action on the requests was recorded during the briefing. Notbomb invited technical questions and said he had brought Rubitsky to answer operational details. The chair then opened the floor for public comment on the presentation; no one in the room or online spoke. The meeting recessed for lunch and was scheduled to return at 12:45 p.m.
The requests described were presented as one‑time costs and would increase the Pikes Peak OEM hazmat budget by the amounts Notbomb specified if approved by commissioners.
