TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Tom Kisela, Interim City Manager
FROM: Sean deMetropolis, Fire Chief
1. Subject
title
Authorize purchase of turnout safety gear and associated safety equipment from Allstar Fire Equipment under the Sourcewell cooperative purchasing agreement number 010424-LIO for Fiscal Year 2025-2026.
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2. Summary
Request to authorize a blanket purchase order with Allstar Fire Equipment in the amount of $257,000 for the purchase of fire suppression turnout safety gear and equipment for Fiscal Year 2025-2026.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
Approve the purchase of fire suppression turnout safety gear and equipment from Allstar Fire Equipment in the amount of $257,000 for Fiscal Year 2025-2026.
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4. Fiscal Impact
The total expenditure for this purchase is $257,000 and will be funded through General Fund (100) and EMT Transport Fund (225) respectively:
100-3121-53201 Operating Materials & Supplies $221,000
100-3121-54101 Noncapitalize Equipment $ 30,000
225-3216-54101 Noncapitalize Equipment $ 6,000
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 1: Maintain Strong Emergency and Safety Services
6. Discussion and Background
The Fire Department purchases the majority of its daily-use safety gear and equipment from a select group of three vendors, Allstar Fire Equipment (Allstar), LN Curtis & Sons, and LineGear Fire & Rescue Equipment based on each vendor’s product availability, manufacturing, distribution, and expertise.
These vendors are among the leaders in the fire supply industry, and in most cases, are the only authorized distributors for the equipment that Orange City Fire has selected to use on a routine basis. Each of these vendors provides competitive pricing based on cooperative purchasing agreements.
Firefighter safety gear and equipment is ordered based on operational needs and national safety standards. Equipment must adhere to safety and life expectancy standards, providing the highest possible level of protection to Fire Department personnel. Safety equipment is often custom made to order based on individual sizing and department specifications. When safety equipment is exposed to hazardous chemicals or other fluids, it must be either properly decontaminated after use or potentially replaced. To maintain departmental specifications and safety standards, direct distribution vendors are necessary for Fire Department operations.
Allstar provides the current and approved specifications for firefighter turnouts, helmets, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) parts, firefighting gloves, wildland brush jackets, and wildland firefighting boots. Allstar is the Lion Group, Inc. factory authorized vendor for turnouts in the Southern California Region, as well as the only direct distributor for Scott Health and Safety, which manufactures the Fire Department’s current SCBA. Current replacement parts for SCBA are ordered directly through Allstar which is also the only direct distributor for Phenix Helmets, the Fire Department’s current structure fire helmet specification, and Elkhart Brass who manufactures firefighting nozzles and hose couplings.
7. ATTACHMENT
• 2024 Sourcewell Cooperative Agreement LION Contract 010424