On Monday, May 23, 2016 Flourtown Fire began training with its 20+ new SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) from manufacturer MSA. Company representative and The Fire Store dealer, John Major, was on hand to help familiarize the firefighters with the new MSA G1 SCBA units. Each unit consists of a harness, back plate, a 30-minute air bottle and face mask, along with NFPA-required heads up air-monitoring indicators, voice amplifiers, electronic and manual air supply warnings and the ability to connect them to radio and other information sources via bluetooth. But the new safety equipment doesn’t come cheap, to outfit all our apparatus and replace the 15-year old SCBA currently being used cost approximately $100,000. A grant from DHS/FEMA and one from the State are helping cover the costs but the fire company will still need to spend close to $5,000, not easy for a 100% volunteer organization.

Photos by Robert Wilmot, Jr.