Meadow Lake Fire Department seeks breathing equipment suppliers

Meadow Lake’s Fire Department is calling for proposals from qualified dealers to supply 12 self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) units.

Fire Chief Neil Marsh told meadowlakeNOW the SCBA is one of the most important pieces of equipment the fire department uses to enter dangerous atmospheres and a limited number of suppliers who can deal with this equipment.

“An important part of the [procurement] is the after-purchase service. They require a lot of ongoing recertification and maintenance. They have to be kept in top condition and be safe at all times. It’s not something you can just buy and be done with it; we need whomever the supplier is to have really good service to go along with it,” Marsh said.

Marsh said the SCBA units typically last approximately 10 years and the current units are nearly 12 years old. The cost for a single unit could be in the range of $10,000.