Today, Chief Barnes of Dammeron Valley Fire & Rescue announced a significant step forward in the department’s mission to provide reliable and compliant fire protection and rescue services to the residents of Dammeron Valley with the addition of four new Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBA).
The SCBAs, often referred to as Airpacks, include four backpacks/harnesses, eight air cylinders, six batteries, and eight face-pieces that will provide firefighters the ability to safely breathe during interior operations on structure fires. “After removing out-of-date breathing equipment in September of 2020, our department no longer had the ability to fight an interior structure fire,” Chief Barnes explained. “We now meet the minimum federal and state regulations for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to provide suppression, and more importantly, the ability to rescue victims in an interior setting during a fire.”
The SCBA is one of the most important pieces of safety equipment a firefighter relies upon, as the synthetic materials used in furnishings inside homes today create an extremely toxic smoke during a fire. This smoke can include hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrochloric acid, carbon monoxide, and ammonia, making the environment immediately dangerous to life and health.
The new SCBAs will provide 15 years of service and safety for DVFR and the community. Chief Barnes added, “The members of DVFR have been working extremely hard over the past few months training and securing certifications in all areas of emergency response. These men and women have demonstrated a level of commitment to provide exceptional service that has been simply inspiring.”
The new SCBAs were officially placed into service on 15 February. DVFR crews spent several days inspecting and logging the new equipment into inventory, as well as familiarizing themselves with the features and functionality, such as state-of-the-art integration with communications equipment.
“I am thankful the Board and this community have provided our crews with the PPE needed to safely do their work,” chief Barnes stated. “The safer we make it for our firefighters the more they can do to protect life and property.”
Chief Barnes finished, “Today is a great day for Dammeron Valley.”
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