Palouse fire volunteers will get new tech coats by summer

Palouse fire department plans to purchase 20 cutting edge firefighter coats, called turnouts, with most of the cost paid from a $38,200 federal grant from Homeland Securtiy.

The coats are expected to arrive in two to three months, according to Palouse Fire Chief Mike Bagott.

The coats will be more than 60 percent lighter than the coats now used by the department. They can also withstand temperatures around 1,000 to 1,250 degrees in comparison to the 700 degrees tolerated by the current department gear. They will also more flexible.

“Those temperatures are way beyond what you would ever want to be in,” Bagott said.

The Palouse fire department currently has about 23 volunteers who respond to emergencies in the area. Bagott estimated his department responds to 80 to 90 total calls a year, including medical calls and car accidents.

Their present turnouts were purchased more than 20 years ago. While still adequate for responding to an emergency, the coats are now outdated.

“Most of them go back to the mid to late 1980s, 25 to 30 years,” Bagott said.

Bagott said the new outfits are made of a blend of Kevlar, Nomex and PBI, all materials noted for their durable wear.

“With these blends, (it makes them) strong and heat resistant, keeps them light as well. That’s the real kicker,” Bagott said. “Just because of the extreme exertion involved, the gear can also be a real source of heat stress. That’s why the ability for the gear to shed heat or prevent heat from building up .”

Funding for the jackets came from a grant from federal Department of Homeland Security. Ninety-five percent of the $38,200 comes from the department, to be matched with five percent from city coffers.

“It’s something we’ve known we’ve needed for a long time,” Bagott said.