Olathe will replace the equipment firefighters depend on to breathe inside smoke-filled buildings, with a federal grant covering $662,625 of the city’s $736,250 purchase.
The City Council accepted the grant Nov. 3 as part of a consent-agenda vote that passed 7-0.
Olathe will contribute $73,625, according to the city’s staff report. That puts the local share at 10% of Olathe’s equipment budget, with federal funding covering the remaining 90%.
The purchase is for self-contained breathing apparatus, commonly called SCBA. The equipment supplies breathing air from a cylinder carried on a firefighter’s back through a facepiece, allowing firefighters to work in conditions where the surrounding air is dangerous or lacks sufficient oxygen.
Olathe is the lead agency for a regional partnership that also includes the Shawnee Fire Department and Johnson County Consolidated Fire District No. 1.
Across the three departments, the approved grant budget includes 147 breathing-apparatus sets and 132 additional facepieces. Each complete set includes a harness or backpack, a facepiece and two air cylinders.
The award describes the complete sets as being intended “for every frontline seated riding position in the region.” Additional facepieces are intended for firefighters who perform firefighting duties, according to the FEMA award documents.
The regional equipment budget totals $1,516,200. Federal funding accounts for $1,378,363.63, with the participating agencies required to contribute at least $137,836.37 collectively. Those regional figures include Olathe’s portion.
The city’s report describes the purchase as part of the equipment’s normal replacement cycle. It does not identify an Olathe-specific unit count or a delivery date for the replacement equipment.
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