The next fire the Columbia Fire Department faces will be with new equipment that will increase their efficiency.
The department received a $140,000 AFG (Assistance to Firefighters Grant) for 21 new breathing apparatuses, which will be a significant upgrade and give firefighters more oxygen and save time switching oxygen tanks. The department’s former standard apparatus was a MSA Stealth L-30 from 1997 that had a 30-minute capacity and was usually good for just 15-18 high-stress minutes, according to C-Shift Lt. Josh Roberson. The new model is a Scott X3 Pro, which has a 45-minute capacity. The department was testing the new packs Wednesday with training exercises to see how long they could last in high-stress situations.
“Our packs see a fair bit of action,” Roberson said. “Now all of our apparatuses have brand-new SCBAs (self-contained breathing apparatuses) on it with 4,500 PSI bottles, which is the standard everybody is going to now.”
The old model had a threaded attachment from the pack to the oxygen bottle, which would take on average 30 seconds to replace. The new one has a quick release that snaps in place and can be replaced in as little as five seconds.
“Those seconds add up a lot when you’re fighting a fire,” Roberson said.
The new tanks are also seven to nine pounds lighter than the old ones, which will allow firefighters to move more quickly and increase their endurance. Roberson said he’s glad the new apparatuses are going to relieve a lot of fatigue from the firefighters.
The straps on the old packs were sewn in and were very difficult to clean, but the new ones are detachable and machine washable. Roberson said being able to clean them thoroughly will get rid of most of the carcinogens from a fire and could ultimately save lives.
“Instead of coming out and having sheetrock, burning debris and everything else, you can strip this entire pack down, remove all the cloth and wash it down. It’s going to help lower the risk of cancer with our firefighters and help ease the fatigue,” he said.
With 21 new packs, every fire truck is fitted with them and even the rescue vehicles have them.
“The guys who run on the rescue truck if they happen to be on a call and we catch a working structure fire, once they clear the scene they can go ahead and put their gear and their pack on and meet us at the fire ready to go,” Roberson said. “Prior to this we didn’t have enough packs to go on the rescue engines.”
Included with the new packs, the department got new masks to go with each one.
Roberson said the new masks will give firefighters a wider field of vision and have a better center of gravity for more comfort.
Station 2 also had four mattresses donated to them recently from D Noblin Furniture and Mattress Firm after it had four damaged beyond repair from water damage the station received in the April 19 storm.
