Wellfleet approves $77,027 contract to replace fire department SCBA compressor after chief reports equipment out of service

The Select Board voted July 21 to approve a $77,027 contract with Firematic Supply Company to replace the compressed-air system used to fill the fire department’s SCBA cylinders.

Town staff said the purchase will come from capital funds and did not require a public procurement because it was available via a state contract. Chief Capella joined remotely and said the compressor was original to the building and is no longer reliably serviceable; as a result, crews sometimes must go to neighboring towns to fill bottles needed for building fires, carbon-monoxide calls and other hazardous-atmosphere responses. “We are at this point... currently out of service with the equipment,” the chief told the board, noting the existing unit dated to about 2009 and parts are increasingly difficult to obtain.

Board members said the replacement is urgent for firefighter safety and held a roll-call vote approving the contract. The board asked that future capital requests contain expected equipment life and replacement estimates to aid budgeting and planning.