£1.2 million investment in new safety equipment for firefighters

Firefighters across Derbyshire are beginning to wear new Breathing Apparatus (BA) following a £1.2 million ongoing commitment to firefighter safety by the Fire and Rescue Authority (FRA). 

Approved at the February 2020 FRA meeting, members agreed the purchase of the new Dräger kit and a 10-year total care package to service and maintain the equipment, which includes telemetry capability, following a robust tender process.  

Area Manager Paul Moreland who led the project to bring the new safety equipment into the Service said: “The introduction of the Dräger breathing apparatus equipment will improve the safety of firefighters entering burning buildings across the whole of Derbyshire.  

“212 Dräger BA sets have been purchased for the Service’s wholetime and on-call firefighters.  The built-in telemetry allows the wearer’s BA equipment to electronically communicate with a BA entry board, monitoring the amount of air left and time this equates to for individual crew members. 

“The Dräger equipment is also intuitive, giving dynamic updates on the amount of air a firefighter has left in their cylinder whilst working inside a building before they must withdraw due to depleted air supply.  The telemetry capability will allow audible warnings to be sent to the BA wearer and firefighters outside monitoring those who have entered the building.” 

Councillor Trevor Ainsworth, Chair of the Fire and Rescue Authority said: “The investment of £1.2 million is an ongoing commitment by the Fire and Rescue Authority to the safety of firefighters across Derbyshire something that is a key priority for the Service in having a well-equipped, trained, competent and safe workforce available for responding to emergency incidents across the County.”