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San Rafael Fire staff detail $685,000 federal grant for new SCBAs and recent equipment upgrades
Summary
Department staff said a regional FEMA Assistance to Firefighters grant of $685,000 will buy about 70 SCBAs, with a local match of roughly $140,000, and reported recent deliveries of new hoses and nozzles and interoperability plans with nearby agencies.
San Rafael fire staff told commissioners that a regional Assistance to Firefighters grant awarded through FEMA will fund a major replacement of self‑contained breathing apparatuses (SCBAs) for the area's agencies.
The award was reported as $685,000; with the department's match of about $140,000, staff said the total program cost is roughly $826,000. The purchase covers about 70 SCBAs and spare bottles, with deliveries expected in March and training to follow. "We were successful in getting that grant," a staff presenter said, adding that regional cooperation on specifications helped the joint application.
Staff said the new SCBAs operate at higher PSI (5,500 PSI was referenced) allowing smaller, lighter bottles; the equipment is interoperable with neighboring agencies through attachments and shared standards. Commissioners noted agencies generally replace SCBAs on a multi‑year cycle (about 15 years) and welcomed interoperability for mutual‑aid responses.
The department also reported recent purchases of firefighting hoses and nozzles and complete replacement of ambulances over the past three years, and said some of those procurements came in under budget. "Those are about 10‑year life on those," one staff member said of hoses, while noting new technology in nozzles and a shift in firefighting approaches to account for synthetic materials in modern structure fires.
Next steps: staff will coordinate training when equipment arrives and circulate specifications and interoperability procedures to partner agencies.
