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Staff recommends Industrial Protection unit to speed decontamination of fire SCBA packs
Summary
Finance staff reported that the recommended decontamination wash unit from Industrial Protection can process 14 self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) packs per hour, a capacity staff said is far higher than alternatives and better supports firefighting operations.
City staff told the Bangor City Finance Committee they remain comfortable purchasing the decontamination wash unit from Industrial Protection after soliciting alternative vendor quotes.
Staff said the Industrial Protection unit surveyed can decontaminate 14 self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) packs per hour. By contrast, other vendors either declined to quote or offered units that clean only two or three packs per hour; one quote for a three-per-hour unit was priced at $45,000–$50,000, while a lower-cost model at about $18,000 was available but would process only two units per hour. Staff and the fire chief discussed whether two-to-three-per-hour capacity would meet operational needs; the chief said that rate would be insufficient in scenarios requiring rapid turnaround for many packs.
Staff said the 14-per-hour capacity would allow typical large incidents — which can require cleaning 25–30 packs — to have packs back in service within about two hours. Staff emphasized the recommended unit fits within the budget previously approved for the fill station and that the committee’s earlier direction to seek vendor confirmation supported moving forward with the Industrial Protection option.
The committee received the update; no formal vote or contract award for this specific unit is recorded in the committee transcript segment provided. Staff said the recommended purchase remains within the previously approved budget for the related equipment.
The committee noted the operational importance of turnaround time for SCBA decontamination and that the selected unit’s higher throughput reduces the risk of running short on serviceable packs during multiple incidents in a single day.
