The Superior Volunteer Fire Department will be breathing easier on the job after a grant the department received will supply the necessary funds to purchase new self-contained-breathing-apparatuses (SCBA).

The equipment, similar to the gear used by scuba divers, allows firefighters to breathe during entry into a smoke filled building they would otherwise be unable to work in. SVFD Fire Chief John Woodland said the replacements for the old equipment were sorely needed by the department.

Woodland said the grant money came from a source specifically geared toward helping fire departments get the equipment they need to keep their personnel and subsequently the public safe.

“There’s a grant program run by the federal government through FEMA called the Aid for Firefighters Grant,”  Woodland said. “We have written several successful grants with them over the years. In the past, their grants bought us a new engine and new turnout gear.”

Woodland said it took a few years but eventually they got the grant for the new breathing apparatuses. He said the devices would replace gear that is nearly 20 years old and lacks the advanced features of new technology.

“The tanks themselves were at the last point where we could get the recertified,” Woodland said. “We were going to have to spend money anyways. The new systems have a lot of additional safety features the old stuff didn’t have.”

The new SCBA gear will allow firefighters to carry more oxygen and give them a better idea of how much they have left in their tanks. Woodland said the reduced visibility firefighters often encounter makes the current way of telling how much air is left difficult to determine.

“Usually as soon as you put on the mask, it fogs up and you can’t see much anyway,” Woodland said. “These will have a set of lights in the mask that will let us know how much air we have.”

Woodland said in addition to the new safety features, the packs are lighter which he said will reduce fatigue n firefighters as they work. He also said the price of the new equipment has dropped and will allow the department to purchase more of them with the grant money.

“The price of these things has gone down so there’s actually enough money in this grant to purchase more packs,” Woodland said. “I’ll have to clear that with FEMA but since we’re not adding dollars, I’m expecting that to be accepted.”

Woodland said because the technology is so new, the gear is just now becoming available. The chief said he was hoping to have his guys in the new gear by the end of the year.

“This will enhance our capabilities in a variety of ways,” Woodland said. “Because we are carrying more air, the guys can work longer before they have to come out and change tanks. It’s much easier to change the tanks on the new gear. It also enhances the safety for our guys. The guys will know when they are running low and need to back out. There will be a lot less risk of someone running out of air.”