Bolivar Fire Department receives new breathing equipment

BOLIVAR, Tenn. — Christmas has come early for the Bolivar Fire Department. It’s received some new potentially life-saving equipment at no cost to the department.

When responding to fires, Bolivar firefighters will soon wear newer and better equipment to help them breathe.

“On the new SCBA’s we have the 4500 PSL bottles. Our old ones were the 2216, and these are lighter,” Training Officer Tommy Breeden said.

Thanks to a grant, the department can retire its 16-year-old breathing equipment and replace it with 20 new self-contained breathing apparatus, as well as 20 new air masks.

“A Scott representative for Scott air packs will be down to do our training on it,” Breeden said.

As part of the grant agreement, the manufacturer has to show firefighters how to properly use the equipment.

“He’ll actually be doing the hands-on training of the new air packs and the masks,” Breeden said.

Breeden said the harness has a drag device which is a lot better than the old one. “It has a piece of webbing attached to it, so if a firefighter goes down, we can just grab this and drag them out.”

Fire officials said this was the sixth year the department applied for the grant but the other times were unsuccessful. The department’s training on Nov. 17 will include use, care and maintenance of the equipment.