Calhoun firefighters Rickey Daniel (left) and B.J. McMahan suit up to demonstrate the fitment and operation of the city’s new Air-Pak X3 Pro breathing units.
Calhoun firefighters B.J. McMahan (left) and Rickey Daniel outfitted in full gear, including a pair of new Air-Pak X3 Pro breathing units with masks.
Each of the 20 new Air-Pak X3 Pro setups cost the city around $8,500 each, and besides keeping the department in compliance, includes several potentially lifesaving safety features.
Calhoun Fire Department Chief Lenny Nesbitt pulls away at the mask of firefighter B.J. McMahan to demonstrate how the unit’s pressurization guards against the potential for harmful incoming air.
Firefighter B.J. McMahan squares away his breathing apparatus for proper storage after wearing it.
Firefighter Rickey Daniel dawns his custom fit facemask before starting airflow from the connected system.
Firefighter B.J. McMahan prepares to dawn his facemask connected to his Air-Pak X3 Pro SCBA cylinders. Each firefighter has their own custom fit mask that can be hooked to any compatible unit.
Calhoun firefighters Rickey Daniel (left) and B.J. McMahan suit up to demonstrate the fitment and operation of the city's new Air-Pak X3 Pro breathing units.
Calhoun firefighters Rickey Daniel (left) and B.J. McMahan suit up to demonstrate the fitment and operation of the city's new Air-Pak X3 Pro breathing units.
Calhoun firefighters Rickey Daniel (left) and B.J. McMahan suit up to demonstrate the fitment and operation of the city’s new Air-Pak X3 Pro breathing units.
Calhoun firefighters B.J. McMahan (left) and Rickey Daniel outfitted in full gear, including a pair of new Air-Pak X3 Pro breathing units with masks.
Each of the 20 new Air-Pak X3 Pro setups cost the city around $8,500 each, and besides keeping the department in compliance, includes several potentially lifesaving safety features.
Calhoun Fire Department Chief Lenny Nesbitt pulls away at the mask of firefighter B.J. McMahan to demonstrate how the unit’s pressurization guards against the potential for harmful incoming air.
Firefighter B.J. McMahan squares away his breathing apparatus for proper storage after wearing it.
Firefighter Rickey Daniel dawns his custom fit facemask before starting airflow from the connected system.
Firefighter B.J. McMahan prepares to dawn his facemask connected to his Air-Pak X3 Pro SCBA cylinders. Each firefighter has their own custom fit mask that can be hooked to any compatible unit.
Calhoun firefighters Rickey Daniel (left) and B.J. McMahan suit up to demonstrate the fitment and operation of the city's new Air-Pak X3 Pro breathing units.
Calhoun firefighters Rickey Daniel (left) and B.J. McMahan suit up to demonstrate the fitment and operation of the city's new Air-Pak X3 Pro breathing units.
Calhoun Fire Department, 327 S. Wall St., recently added some much needed lifesaving equipment to their equipment cache.
The city’s 20 new Air-Pak X3 Pro SCBA cylinders are required equipment in certain situations, especially dealing with fires or leads where toxic fumes or smoke may be present.
“They protect the guys from hazardous atmospheric conditions ... all the poisons, carcinogens, and whatever is in the smoke,” Chief Lenny Nesbitt said. “The equipment is very important for our guys, and it gives them the ability to come and take care of you.”
Adding to the five the department already had, the 20 new cylinders cost $120,840 total. Along with 40 carbon cylinder valves at $44,400, and 20 kevlar headnets costing $5,700, the total bill ran $170,940 — a cost that was unavoidable to keep in compliance with current safety standards.
The equipment was purchased from nearby American Safety & FireHouse in Doraville, and does more than just assisting firefighters in breathing safe air.
Each apparatus also has an alarm to let other firefighters know when a member of their unit isn’t moving and needs to be rescued.
“If they’re still for a certain amount of time, it will give a pre-alert telling them to move, and if they don’t move it will go into a full alarm so someone can find them,” Nesbitt said.
Depending on the size and fitness level of each individual firefighter, a tank can last anywhere from a half hour up to three times that. Each unit also has the ability to allow for shared air between firefighters.
The harness on each apparatus can also be used as a drag unit to pull a downed firefighter to safety.
“Every firefighter is assigned their own mask so it’s clean,” Nesbitt explained. “You have to get fit tested to make sure nothing is seeping in.”
Each unit goes into a specific spot in their firetruck, and are locked into place so they don’t move around and get damaged.
“They’re fit tested yearly,” Nesbitt said. “Every year we rent a machine and each firefighter tested with a mask, and everyone is taught to properly put it on and off and wear it.”
Outfitting a firefighter was already expensive, and has even more challenges with the current state of inflation and supply chain issues, according to Calhoun Fire Deputy Chief Terry Mills.
“You’re at about $3,600 or $3,700 to outfit a firefighter,” Mills said, and that’s just the basics including boots, helmet, as well as under and outwear.
A custom order of the basic required uniform — before added safety or breathing equipment — takes a while to get these days, so the department has to stay on top of each firefighter’s needs often.
“We used to get them in two months, and now it’s eight or nine months,” Nesbitt said.
Each firefighter’s custom gear has a shelf life of 10 years, but with daily use, that’s usually an optimistic outlook.
“Most of the time it doesn’t make it 10 years with training and use on fires,” Nesbitt said.
Sending a firefighter out on a call with expired gear is a safety issue, as well as a liability issue for the city, according to Mills.
“If you put a fireman in [expired gear] and it’s beyond that shelf date, and something happens, we’re liable,” He said.
Blake Silvers is managing editor of the Calhoun Times.
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