Gunnison Valley Fire Chief asks Mayfield to help seed equipment reserve for SCBA replacement

Jed Henson, fire chief for the Gunnison Valley Fire Department, told the Mayfield Town Council on June 11 that the department is asking member communities to raise a reserve for equipment that will reach mandatory end-of-life in coming years.

“We are requesting to raise our budget this year $5,000,” Henson said. He asked Mayfield’s representative to consider a share; later in the meeting staff confirmed Mayfield’s portion was $800 and that amount was included in the town’s proposal.

Henson explained why the money is needed: National Fire Protection Association guidelines (NFPA) set life limits on equipment used in firefighting. Turnout gear commonly has a 10-year service life and can occasionally be extended with chief-level justification, he said. Cylinders used with self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) have a 15-year lifespan, he said, and cannot be recertified after that date.

“That cylinder has a 15 year lifespan, and we have to have it certified every year. Every five years it’s got to go through a water test certified,” Henson said. “To purchase one of those cylinders, you’re right close to $2,000 a cylinder.” He estimated replacing the cylinders for the packs in service would approach $70,000.

Henson said the $5,000 request was intended to seed a Public Treasurer’s Investment Fund (PTIF) account so replacement costs will be less likely to require ad hoc requests from member towns a decade from now. “So that $5,000 we’re asking for is to get it going to, PTIF fund to build up,” he said. “It’s really not going to give anything to our department as far as today’s use. It’s a future put away.”

Council members pressed Henson about how the district manages equipment and apparatus. Henson described the interlocal district’s governance: each participating community has a representative on the district board; the district buys major apparatus such as Type 1 engines and brush trucks and distributes older vehicles to smaller departments. He said the district recently awarded a Type 1 engine (bids around $650,000) and planned to buy brush trucks (roughly $200,000 each) with shared county/district funding.

Henson emphasized the volunteer nature of the county’s fire service and noted other sources of revenue, including reimbursement when crews work on federal or state lands. He said the county contributes about $11,000 annually to district coverage and described the department’s geographic coverage of roughly 500 square miles.

Mayfield council members thanked Henson and confirmed Mayfield’s $800 contribution was included in the town’s budget package. Henson said the department will continue exploring grants and other offsets so communities are not repeatedly approached for large, unexpected purchases.

Clarifying details drawn from the presentation are: SCBA cylinders have a 15-year certified service life; individual replacement cylinders cost about $2,000; replacing the cylinders for the district’s packs was estimated near $70,000; SCBA pack-and-cylinder systems were described by Henson as costing roughly $10,000 each; Mayfield’s share of the immediate request was $800.