Breathing easier: Firefighters get new masks

The risks are high when firefighters enter burning buildings — immediately and long term.

Salinas Battalion Chief Brett Loomis said on every call, there’s the possibility of exposure to harmful fumes.

“In one or two breaths, could render them incapacitated or even kill them,” Loomis said.

And that exposure can build up over time.

“A number of our firefighters who retired were then diagnosed with cancer,” Loomis said.

Department leaders in Monterey County say their firefighters are using mask that are getting too old.

“Reliability is not quite there,” Monterey Fire Chief Gaudenz Panholzer said.

But not for long. Two federal grants worth $1.7 million paid for state of the art breathing masks.

Every new mask comes with an LED heads up display, which shows firefighters how much air they have in their tanks. The tanks also hold more air and have an alarm system if a firefighter goes down.

But most important, they’re more reliable.

“Having a reliable pack is everything. We put all of our trust into it,” Firefighter Vaugh Costa with the Monterey Fire Department said.

And in his 22 years with the Salinas Fire Department, Battalion Chief Loomis said better masks could help firefighters down the line.

“It’s our responsibility for the future firefighters, it’s our responsibility to the community to do everything we can to keep our firefighters safe and healthy,” Loomis said.