The Portage la Prairie Fire Department is getting new self contained breathing apparatuses (SCBA).

City council accepted a $170,916.47 tender bid from ABC Fire & Safety for the supply of delivery of new SCBAs at its meeting Monday night. The city received three bids for the new equipment and the accepted price came in $25,599.47 — or 17.62 per cent — higher than the lowest offer of $145,326 by Reliant Action Limited.

Administration's report to council explains the proposal was to include prices for 20 SCBA units, 44 high pressure air cylinders, 20 face pieces with 16 additional optional, four confined space hip packs and two rapid intervention rescue team kits.

Each bid offered a different brand of SCBA, and Public Safety committee chair Ryan Espey says the selected bid was the preferred choice of firefighters.

“We didn't go with the lowest one because the preferred unit, and we're dealing with matters of safety here, is the one we chose,” Espey says. “It's a little more expensive than we could have done. But it's the preferred unit, it has more success with fit-testing and it's what most fire departments are using.”

“This is with feedback from the Portage la Prairie Fire Department that this is what they would like,” continues Espey. “And certainly it makes a lot of sense that they would all have the same unit as well. Some of the other units weren't able to do successful fit-tests on some of the firefighters.”

An SCBA is a device or mask worn to provide breathable air.