Kenai City Council will be voting tonight on whether to approve a bulk purchase of breathing equipment for local fire departments.
Resolution 2020-02, if adopted, would authorize the joint purchase of 171 new self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBAs) for the Kenai Fire Department, Nikiski Fire Department and Central Emergency Services. This would replace all of the SCBA packs already in use, according to a memo from Kenai City Fire Chief Jeff Tucker and Public Works Director Scott Curtin.
The total cost of replacing the SCBA packs is $1,094,000, at a cost of $6,400 per pack. On Aug. 27, the City of Kenai was awarded an Assistance to Firefighters Grant to cover the majority of the cost of the SCBA packs, with local agencies responsible for the rest.