Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fire officials outline $2.4 million FEMA request to replace aging SCBAs; county to cover cylinders and possible gap
Summary
Fire/Rescue staff told the board the county's roughly 200 Scott air packs are reaching end of life; they have applied for a $2.4 million FEMA AFG grant to replace units, noted compatibility issues with NFPA standard changes, and asked the board to plan for a county funding gap if federal aid is partial.
Fire/Rescue presenters told the board Shenandoah County operates roughly 200 Scott self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) units across volunteer stations and that many are nearing or past the manufacturers' recommended service life. A presenter described the mix of standards in service (2002, 2007, 2013 versions) and said an updated NFPA connection standard (2018) complicates partial replacement because older packs and newer packs may not interoperate.
Officials said the county submitted an Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) application to FEMA requesting $2,400,000 to replace air packs; FEMA responded at a review stage and the county was told award timing might be known by September. The presenter also said the Virginia Department of Fire (grant program) has a separate program capped at $100,000, which the county also applied for to augment replacement funding.
The county has already budgeted money in recent cycles to stagger cylinder (bottle) replacements; presenters said a breathing-air cylinder has a 15-year service life and that past purchases and current budget carryover amount to roughly $200,000 available to put toward the plan. If FEMA awards less than expected, presenters said the county's share could be roughly $1.2 million (presenters gave a range during discussion) depending on final unit costs and grant parameters. Presenters recommended forming an RFP and bringing manufacturers to the training grounds for hands-on evaluation and stressed that full replacement of like models is safest operationally to avoid mix-and-match complications.
