Fairlawn Fire OH Purchasing Replacement Fire Equipment

Fairlawn City Council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to go out to bid for the purchase of self-contained breathing apparatus units for the Fairlawn Fire Department.

Fire Chief Russ Hose said the city will purchase 24 new air packs and 24 spare bottles.

“An air pack is a self-contained breathing apparatus. In essence, it’s just like what a scuba diver would wear. It’s a bottle on [the firefighter’s] back with air in it, with a mask and a line coming up to an air hose,” he said. “It’s specifically just for going into a fire, so you’re breathing clean air while you’re fighting the fire. They have 30-minute bottles on them, and when it gets low, there’s an alarm that will sound, and guys will come out and switch out bottles or have new crews go in. Thirty minutes is plenty of time to be in a fire.”

Hose said the air packs currently being used by his department will become obsolete in 2016. The estimated price for the new equipment is approximately $148,000, he noted, but 95 percent of the total cost will be covered by grant money.

“This was a grant that we received in 2013 in the summer,” Hose said. “The city’s share is going to be in the neighborhood of $7,500, so it’s a good deal for us.”

Council President Russ Sharnsky (at large) said Fairlawn’s portion already was accounted for in the city’s budget prior to the vote.

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