To: Board of Directors
From: Lewis Broschard, Chief, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
Report Title: Approval of a Participating Addendum with Sea-Western Enterprises, Inc. for the Purchase of Two (2) Cold Cut Cobra Systems Utilizing Sourcewell Contract No. 020124
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Fire Chief, or designee, to execute a Participating Addendum with SeaWestern Enterprises, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $200,000 for the procurement of two (2) Cold Cut Cobra cutting and extinguishment systems, fire suppression tools, through Sourcewell Contract No. 020124.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Budgeted. 100% CCCFPD General Operating Fund.
BACKGROUND:
The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District continuously evaluates and enhances its operational equipment to improve firefighter safety and emergency response capabilities. The Fire District has experienced multiple electric vehicle fires, and consistently, the challenge is to penetrate the sealed battery enclosure to extinguish the fire.
The Cold Cut Cobra system will be used as a specialized electric-vehicle (EV) and lithium-ion battery fire suppression tool. It penetrates sealed battery enclosures and delivers high-pressure water mist combined with an abrasive aggregate directly to overheated or burning battery cells, enabling firefighters to interrupt thermal runaway, reduce reignition risk, and limit hazardous vapor release. This capability is essential for safely managing EV fires, battery energy storage system incidents, and other high-energy lithium-ion hazards that conventional hose streams cannot effectively control.
The proposed purchase aligns with the District’s ongoing efforts to modernize equipment, adopt proven firefighting technologies, and implement best practices in emergency response. Procuring the system through a competitively awarded cooperative purchasing contract enables the District to obtain this capability efficiently while ensuring fiscal responsibility.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this action is not approved, the District will lack the safe and effective capability to mitigate electric-vehicle and lithium-ion battery fires. Fire crews will be forced to rely on conventional hose streams that cannot penetrate sealed battery enclosures, increasing the risk of prolonged thermal runaway, firefighter exposure to toxic and flammable gases, repeated re-ignitions, extended road closures, and greater damage to surrounding property and infrastructure.