Area fire departments seek grant to replace aging air packs

Fire departments in Cape Girardeau and the area hope to secure federal funding to purchase vital safety equipment that allow firefighters to breathe in burning buildings.

Cape Girardeau fire chief Rick Ennis said his department needs to replace more than 50 self-contained breathing apparatus units or air packs. The equipment is 11 years old, and industry standards recommend replacement after 10 years, he said.

The city failed to receive a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant last year that would have paid 90 percent of the approximate $500,000 cost.

This year, Cape Girardeau has partnered with area fire departments to apply for a regional grant from FEMA. Ennis said he hopes the regional approach will help secure federal funding.

The other departments are Jackson, Gordonville, North County, Whitewater and Scott City.

Master firefighter Matt Mittrucker shows "possibly repairable" self-contained breathing apparatus units Friday at Cape Girardeau Fire Department Station 1.Fred Lynch

In all, the six departments are seeking a grant to cover 90 percent of the more than $1.3 million cost to purchase 157 air packs, Ennis said.

The devices are "a lot like scuba equipment," Ennis said. The apparatus involves a high-pressure air tank or cylinder, a pressure regulator and a connected face mask, all mounted in a harness.

Each unit comes with two air cylinders that can be changed out when battling a fire, Ennis said.

"There are a lot of moving parts that wear out," Ennis said.

The lens in the "face piece" is made of plastic, he said.

"It is exposed to a lot of heat," Ennis said. He said over time, the outer layer of plastic will begin to melt.

Ennis said he would like to begin replacing the face masks every five years.

In the grant application, the Cape Girardeau Fire Department is seeking federal funding to pay 90 percent of the more than $432,000 cost to purchase 49 units or air packs.

The city would have to pay the remaining 10 percent of that cost, or about $43,000. The city also would have to pay the entire cost for several additional air packs the grant will not cover, Ennis said.

The air packs cost $8,800 each, he said.

If FEMA doesn't approve the grant, the fire chief said the city of Cape Girardeau may have to foot the whole bill to purchase new units in 2018 or 2019 at the latest. That could amount to an expense of more than half a million dollars, Ennis said.

Ennis said several of the aging devices have been taken out of service in his department.

The department has two firefighters trained in repairing the breathing equipment. They can handle basic repairs, but the department has to rely on outside service providers for more complex fixes, Ennis said.

Cape Girardeau has a fire sales tax. Money from that tax has gone to help fund construction and renovations of fire stations and purchase of firetrucks.

But Ennis said none of that tax money is budgeted for replacing the air packs.

"We need to find other sources for that," he said.

The needed equipment is listed as an unfunded item in the latest draft of the city's five-year capital improvements plan, which runs through 2022.

Jackson fire chief Jason Mouser said his department is facing a similar need to replace aging air packs.

"They wear out," he said. "They take a little bit of abuse."

As they wear out, he said, the department is faced with increasing repair costs.

"It makes sense to try to purchase new ones," Mouser said.

Without grant funding, Jackson would have to spend $250,000 to $350,000 to replace the equipment, he said.

Ennis and Mouser said their departments depend on this vital equipment to protect their firefighters.

Ennis said, "This is a life-safety issue."

Today's equipment has added features to alert firefighters as to how much air they have left in their cylinders.

In addition, an alarm sounds if a firefighter remains still for too long, indicating the firefighter may be in danger, said Ennis.

Mouser said the technology has "come a long way."

Ennis said the partnering fire departments hope their grant application will be approved later this year.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641