PBFD invests in future of fire services with $45K equipment donation

Three Rivers College is the beneficiary of nearly $45,000 worth of firefighting gear, thanks to the Poplar Bluff Fire Department.

The donation of used equipment was approved by the Poplar Bluff City Council at its May 18 meeting.

Twenty-six self-contained breathing apparatuses, no longer in service at the fire department, went to the college’s Fire Science Program, said fire department Battalion Chief Mike Moffitt.

Poplar Bluff Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike Moffitt shows some of the self-contained breathing apparatuses the department plans on donating to Three Rivers College's Fire Science Program, pending city council approval.DAR/Paul Davis

In addition, four SCBA units are slated to be donated to the city’s water department for use in emergency situations, Moffitt said.

“We got all new SCBAs in 2018,” explained Moffitt, so the older ones, purchased in 2002 and now expired, are destined for delivery to the school.

“The bottles have a 15-year service life,” Moffitt said, “and normally we trade those in, but they wouldn’t give us anything for them.”

Battlion Chief Mike Moffitt stacks several expired SCBA units inside Station No. 1, which the department plans to donate to Three Rivers College's Fire Science Program for use in its training classes.DAR/Paul Davis

Each set includes a pack, with an air bottle, a spare bottle and a mask, said Moffitt of the SCBAs.

“They are of no use to us, but they’re still useful for training,” Moffitt said. “We’re glad somebody can use them.”

“We greatly appreciate the donation of air packs,” said TRC President Dr. Wes Payne. “We’ve had a longstanding relationship with the city and the fire department and look forward to continuing that relationship as we train future firefighters.”

Jack Armor, who oversees the Fire Science Program at Three Rivers, echoed Payne’s sentiments.

“We certainly appreciate it. Thanks to the city and the fire department. They’ve been very helpful with this program,” Armor said.

The relationship between the college program and the fire department, he noted, has been “exemplary.”

Armor said as the school’s equipment ages, “it’s very generous of those who can donate, so it’s not an extreme cost to the school,” Armor said.

Having the proper equipment, and enough of it, to efficiently conduct training is important, Armor said.

“It’s tantamount we have the proper equipment to do the training. The optimum thing is for each person to have an air pack and two bottles, and the more SCBAs we have, the training flows better,” Armor said.

Armor described the donation of training equipment as “an investment in our community and the future of fire services in our area.”