To: Board of Directors
From: Lewis Broschard, Chief, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
Report Title: Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Purchase
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Fire Chief, or designee, to enter into an End User Agreement with Allstar Fire Equipment Co., pursuant to the terms and conditions of a Master Agreement issued by the Houston-Galveston Area Council, to allow for purchases to made thereunder for emergency rescue equipment in an amount not to exceed $5,500,000, and
2. APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Purchase Agent, on behalf of the Fire Chief, to execute a purchase order with Allstar Fire Equipment Co., subject to the terms of the End User Agreement between Contra Costa County Fire Protection District and Allstar, in an amount not to exceed $5,500,000 for the purchase of Self Contained Breathing Apparatus equipment, and
3. APPROVE Budget Amendment No. BDA-25-00160 authorizing a transfer of $5,500,000 from the Fire District Fund Balance to the Fire District General Operating Fund (7300) under medical & lab supplies and equipment, for the purchase of SCBA equipment.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Due to the failure to secure federal Assistance to Firefighter Grant (AFG) funds, the full amount of $5,500,000 for the purchase of this equipment will be covered by Fire District reserves. Since this is not a budgeted expenditure, the District is also requesting to transfer $5,500,000 from the Fire District’s General Operating Fund Balance to the Fire District’s General Operating budget (FY25-26).
BACKGROUND:
Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), along with the firefighter’s personal protective equipment, is the primary safety equipment that allows firefighters to operate in smoke and heat filled environments that are immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH). Operating in IDLH environments, whether to effect a rescue of a fire victim, find and extinguish a fire within a structure, extinguish a vehicle fire or any other fire involving toxic or hazardous smoke, or wearing a hazardous materials entry suit, all require the use of a SCBA.
The District has applied for AFG funds to support this project for the last three years, but has been unsuccessful in obtaining a grant award. As a result, the District must purchase this necessary safety equipment without external funding support.
The attached report summarizes the history of our current Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) inventory. The report provides details on the age of our inventory, references National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards for replacement, provides an overview of the quantities needed for support firefighting and hazardous materials operations, the evaluation process taken to determine the most suitable SCBA replacement, the evaluation findings, and the evaluation team’s recommendation.
The purchase will be made pursuant to a HGAC cooperative purchasing competitive solicitation (HGACBuy Solicitation EE11-24 contract) along with an additional substantial discount from the fire equipment distributor, Allstate Fire Equipment, Inc.
The total anticipated costs of the purchase are $5,324,955 including sales tax of 8.75%. The maximum total amount in this board action is proposed at $5,500,000 to account for unforeseen cost increases. This purchase will consist of 435 SCBA with mask-mounted regulators for fire suppression uses, 16 SCBA with mask-mounted regulators for hazardous materials response uses, 800 air cylinders, 700 facepieces, 300 additional mask-mounted regulators, and various other necessary parts and equipment to fully outfit the District’s needs, and completely replace the current aging SCBA equipment in use at all fire stations and on all fire apparatus.
It is anticipated the SCBA equipment would be delivered no later than March, 2026 with a projected in-service date and full conversion to the new equipment by the end of May, 2026.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
The District would continue to rely on older and aging critical safety equipment.