BOONE, Iowa—It took about three years of saving, securing grants and planning for the Boone Fire Department to secure their new “state of the art” air packs, to replace tanks and masks that have gradually aged out. Boone Fire Chief Justin Adams showed off the new equipment to the Boone City Council Monday evening. Adams says the units are capable of providing 45-minutes of air, compared to the older tanks that were about a half-hour. The new packs also contain advanced technology which allows the incident commander to monitor a fire fighters activity remotely with a tablet. Adams says the department is currently going through training with the new air packs and masks that actually contain their own thermal imaging feature. Fire fighters will no longer need to bring in a separate thermal imaging camera. Boone Mayor John Slight, on KWBG Tuesday said the department saved and secured the funds necessary to make the equipment purchase at a cost of just under $220,000. The purchase included 26 new air pack units and masks. The purchase was made from MES (Municipal Emergency Services) and are the 3-M Scott brand. 3-M is providing the technical training for using the new features.
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