Is upgrading to High Pressure a viable request?

[Wolf8552]

One of the departments that I will be writing for this year would like to upgrade their packs and cascade systems to High Pressure. Currently their Low Pressure packs meet the latest NFPA standards (Integrated PASS, HUD, Universal RIT, etc.) Their reasoning currently is that by going to High Pressure they will have lighter packs by using carbon fiber bottles, 45 minute bottles instead of 30 minutes so that their firefighters can work longer without interuption, and interoperability since 7 out of 10 of their closest neighboring agencies have gone to High pressure.

First: Is this a viable request?

Second: They currently have 34 air-packs. Does this mean that if funded, they would be limited to 68 new high pressure bottles (one for the pack and one spare for each pack)? Or could they ask for additional bottles for their air supply unit?

Chris

[quint1officer]

My uneducated guess would be no. If the packs are already nfpa compliant, how does the firefighter benefit by new nfpa compliant packs?

[onebugle]

Wolf8552,

The project would be not be viable for one reason. The SCBAs are already NFPA compliant to current standards. They would be wasting their time, since the application probably would not get past the computer scoring. You would be stating that the SCBA are 100% compliant to the current standard.

Their other reasons along with non-compliant SCBA would have been a very viable project. At this point they need to come up with a new project.

[Bones42]

Seeing the amount of physical fitness equipment that was awarded (as a high priority ) put in for it, you'll probably be awarded.

[Wolf8552]

They are not intending on replacing their old nfpa compliant packs. They would like to convert their Scott Air Pack-Fifty 2.2's to 4.5's. And to replace their 3600psi cascade systems to 6000psi.

[ktb9780]

It won't happen. Too many departments in non-complaint packs that are still 10-15 years of age. Switch tactics.

[BC79er_OLDDELETE]

Ditto. As Bugle said, the packs are already NFPA compliant, the litmus test that DHS uses for calculating need. 100% of the SCBA are NFPA compliant, there is no "need" for grant funds to make them compliant. Upgrading non-compliant to compliant is the only way that will be funded. Upgrading/replacing the cascade is viable if it's old, but not without having the need to fill high pressure bottles. So if going for the 4.5s was the only reason for needing the new cascade/compressor, then that's out too.

- Brian