CRIT Fire Department secures new breathing gear for firefighter safety

The Colorado River Indian Tribes Fire Department has secured new self-contained breathing apparatus gear that will give firefighters a cleaner, steadier air supply when they move into smoke-filled structures or other dangerous atmospheres. The upgrade is aimed squarely at safer interior fire attacks, rescue work and longer operating time on scenes where every minute of protection matters for crews serving the reservation and the Parker area.

The department expects to end up with 14 new SCBA units once the procurement process is complete. The gear was paid for through a tribal homeland security grant, with help from grant writer Randy Brawley of Wise Consulting LLC, a funding path that keeps a core public-safety need moving without waiting for a major emergency to expose the gap.

The new purchase also fits a pattern for the department. CRIT public fire-department materials say a FEMA grant in fiscal year 2004 outfitted the department’s entire crew of 12 firefighters with gear and 12 SCBA units. That earlier investment, like this one, centered on the equipment firefighters need most when they enter burning buildings, work around hazardous vapors or face airborne particles that can quickly turn a response into a life-threatening scene.

For La Paz County, the timing and location matter. The Colorado River Indian Reservation covers nearly 300,000 acres and includes about 90 miles of Colorado River shoreline, with Parker as the primary community. About 8,385 people live on the reservation, which includes the Mohave, Chemehuevi, Hopi and Navajo tribes. In a service area that large and rural, a small department can be stretched thin fast, especially when it is covering homes, vehicles, utility buildings and brush fire threats across wide distances.

FEMA says the Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program is designed to strengthen tribal nations’ ability to prevent, protect against and respond to potential terrorist attacks and other hazards. In practice, that kind of support can translate into better respiratory protection for firefighters who may have to stay inside longer, move more safely through heat and smoke, and reduce their risk of inhaling toxic material while they work to protect families, tribal property and critical structures.