Schenectady Fire Dept. acquires new personal protective gear | News | dailygazette.com

Schenectady firefighter Mitchell Burke waits for water at a garage fire behind 1138 Oxford Place just past 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024.

SCHENECTADY — The Schenectady Fire Department is acquiring a new round of protective gear key to protecting its firefighters in the field.

The acquisitions was approved by the City Council on Oct. 28. The agency is purchasing 10 new firefighting jackets for a total of $19,300 and 10 pairs of firefighting pants for $22,000.

In August, Schenectady Fire Chief Donald Mareno appeared before the council’s public safety committee to request that the city standardize the specifications for the department’s fire gear. Mareno explained that the agency has purchased turnout gear from the Globe Manufacturing Company for the past three decades, with 22 pages of specifications that detail how the vendor manufactures the coat and pants that make up a set of gear.

With Globe no longer under state contract, and following a bid process, the department used the specifications to acquire its new gear, which is Globe products purchased through the Garrison Fire and Rescue Corporation.

“We wanted to standardize our PPE [Personal Protective Equipment] because we have very specific requirements for our department,” Mareno said. “We wanted to standardize that, so regardless of where we purchase them, the manufacturer had to meet those standards for us and that was approved.”

The fire department has budgeted for additional gear next year. Its $11.6 million 2025 budget includes $196,500 for various equipment purchases, with $88,000 in funding for clothing and dry goods.

The department is required to phase out each piece of gear after 10 years in the field and replace the equipment.

“They have three layers and they perform in such a way that wicks moisture and each [brand] has similar ways of accomplishing that,” Mareno explained. “We have further requirements that can be as simple as that we want the radio pocket in a certain place. We want everybody wearing their radio in a certain place and everyone to have their tools in a certain place. We want everyone to have their extrication system placed in a certain manner.”

The fire chief noted that, in a life-or-death situation when battling a blaze, firefighters need to rely on the stability and predictability of their equipment.

“In the heat of battle, when things are going south, a member has to address certain things that may seem minimal, but when you’re trying to get someone out of a building, you need to know, ‘In this pocket, these tools are there and I may need one of his tools to help me untangle him because I can’t get to mine,’” Mareno said. “It can’t be different from one firefighter to another, it has to be all standard. When it matters, you don’t have time to think, you have to know and act.”

Contact Ted Remsnyder at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @TedRemsnyder.

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