Manassas firefighters won’t have to share breathing units when battling smoke and fire inside city homes and buildings.
A new $332,500 federal grant announced by Virginia Senator Tim Kaine will go to fund the purchase of new Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for the city’s entire fire and rescue system.
In an email, Manassas Fire Chief Rob Clemmons says is “a BIG deal for us.”
Our current SCBA will meet its life expectancy in the near future and this grant will assist with the replacement cost.
All of our SCBA is manufactured by SCOTT and this grant allows us to not only replace our current equipment but upgrade to the latest NFPA standard.
We will also be able to provide all System members with their own SCBA regulator. Currently, all members use the SCBA regulator that is assigned to that particular SCBA equipment.
Purchasing a regulator for every member will eliminate the chances of cross-contamination from firefighter to firefighter.”
The new gear should be in use by November.
