NEWBERRY — A public safety committee was held on Monday, September 18. A number of fire department members came and spoke to county council members about the state of equipment and why the departments need more funding.

Emergency Services Coordinator Brandon Wicker explained to the council that 70 of around 150 SCBAs (self contained breathing apparatus, or the mask and air tanks firefighters carry) are in need of replacement or in need of repair. The SCBA’s needing replacement no longer meet the standards and specifications for the National Fire Protection Association.

“The cost of repair for what we have been working on over this past week, with the pressure tests and flow tests, we’re looking around the neighborhood of around $12,000 on those repairs,” Wicker said.

Packs made prior to 2008 do not meet the NFPA requirements. Parts for the air packs are no longer available, instead being fixed with what parts can be circulated and found on hand. Other equipment, such as Dräger equipment from the 1990s, is being phased out of rotation due to non-compliance with safety standards. They also lack the universal fitting that allows for the air tanks to be refilled regardless of the manufacturer.

“They don’t meet the current standards because they do not have a heads up display. They do not have voice amplifiers and there’s no rapid intervention crew universal connection,” said Wicker.

Wicker proposed an idea to phase out the 70 outdated SCBAs and begin a replacement plan for them. This includes looking into what is needed in each department, while shortening what can be shortened, such as the number of packs per department.

“I’m trying to be practical,” Chairman Todd Johnson said. “I don’t want to put 16 air packs in the fire trucks and some never get broke out the plastic because there was never anyone to wear it. That’s not being a good steward of taxpayer money.”

Johnson asked about the possibility of a cease and desist of the non-compliant equipment as it can harm not just the firefighters, but also those who are helped by the firefighters.

“The problem we run into is that would cut into the packs substantially. It could also hurt line safety on the fire ground, even for the resident and our firefighters,” Wicker said.

Johnson said the issue is one he would like to handle as soon as possible, since lives are at risk if it is not.

“I don’t think this can wait. I don’t want somebody hurt, thinking they had a good air pack on their back and they actually had something way out of date. First, it’s disingenuous and second, it’s a false sense of security on our part. Having to look someone’s family, when I know we sent them in with ineffective equipment, and tell them they didn’t come out, that I can not handle as a person,” Johnson said.

Wicker was not the only one to bring up the issue of air packs. Prosperity Fire Department Chief Robert Dennis asked for a reimbursement for recently purchased air packs. He brought band-aids to the podium, showing them to the council and saying:

“I did bring my band-aids because that’s what we’ve been doing for close to 35 years that I’ve been in the fire service,” said Dennis, band-aids in the air.

He explained their budget is already thin, but with an increase in weather disasters, car and house fires, collisions and more, the thin budget is being stretched thinner. First responders have more responsibilities but less money to support them. Without the right amount of funding, departments are forced to purchase needed equipment out of pocket, like the four air packs purchased out of pocket by the Prosperity Fire Department.

“That money was derived from fundraisers, donations and memorials made to the Prosperity Fire Department. This is not the proper procedure for the purchase of mandatory equipment for service provided by this county,” said Dennis.

There have been 11 other departments that have used their own funding to purchase needed equipment. The four air packs totaled to $35,800. As pointed out by others at the meeting, when departments aren’t funded, lives are at risk.

“We understand the search for money,” Dennis said. “But we also know we’ve provided an invaluable service. That’s the reason why we’re here tonight, asking the floor to do that deep search of where we can get that money to fully equip firefighters with these air packs.”

Reach Orion Griffin @ 803-768-3122 or on Twitter @TheNBOnews.