I know a couple of years ago we had a grant for SCBA's and it was reduced...but here's the kicker...it didn't have anything to do with the prices of the SCBA's but rather the number of them we requested. A "Class A" engine is only required to carry 4 SCBA's and all our engines carry 6...they never actually came out and explained why, but once I did the math I realized they were allowing enough funds for 4 SCBA x number of engines in my department (per the department profile) x price quoted per unit.
It may be that they are reducing your grant based on how much hose you are "supposed" to carry for the number of apparatus you have, rather than the per unit cost of the hose.
Maybe someone with more insight can clarify, but that's how I interpreted it.
Chief Dwayne LeBlanc
Paincourtville Volunteer Fire Department
Paincourtville, LA
"I have a dream. It's not a big dream, it's just a little dream. My dream — and I hope you don't find this too crazy — is that I would like the people of this community to feel that if, God forbid, there were a fire, calling the fire department would actually be a wise thing to do. You can't have people, if their houses are burning down, saying, 'Whatever you do, don't call the fire department!' That would be bad."
— C.D. Bales, "Roxanne"
NorCal--do you have access to the wording of the reduction "offer"? Might be based on the quantity, the price, or some of the appliances. Hard to tell much without a little more info.
dmlebanc--Typically, SCBA awards are limited to seating the number of seating positions on each apparatus. Engines are an exception to that in that you could be allotted 4 packs so that the 2 in/2 out could be maintained on a first due unit that only seated 2 or 3. It's possible to excede that number with justification in the narrative, but tough. How a department carries their SCBA's is up to them.
I'm sure it's happened before, just not as widespread a request as PPE and SCBA getting reduced. Everything has a limit based on market price, from fittings on up.
Brian P. Vickers www.vickersconsultingservices.com
Emergency Services Consulting
Westlake VFD - Houston, TX Proud Member IACOJ - Redneck Division
Comment