Menlo Park Fire Protection District

 

Tools and Equipment

Program Overview

The Tools and Equipment (T&E) program’s purpose is to purchase and maintain all District apparatus equipment inventories for fire engines, fire trucks, heavy rescues, and battalion vehicles.  The program will also support all product research, purchasing, distributing, testing, and maintaining inventory of rope rescue equipment, power saws, and fire hose.

Management Oversight

The T&E program is directed by the Division Chief of Training with oversight authority delegated to the Battalion Chief and program coordinator. This program does not have any full-time equivalent employees. This program contains the expenses pertaining to general supplies and equipment purchases, maintenance and repair services, fixed assets for operations, and overtime for training and program administration.

Goals and Objectives

  • Oversee the acquisition of tools and equipment for apparatus and vehicle outfitting, ensuring all vehicles are properly equipped.
  • Regularly maintain and update inventory records for both apparatus and equipment to ensure all assets are accounted for and properly outfitted with standard, uniform equipment.
  • Manage asset inventory to maintain accountability and ensure all equipment is in good condition and properly assigned to the appropriate apparatus.

FY 2023-24 Accomplishments

  • Made significant progress in organizing and optimizing the HQ T&E (Tools & Equipment) stockroom, improving overall inventory management and accessibility of supplies.
  • Successfully completed all PS Trax alert requests, ensuring timely and efficient responses to equipment and inventory needs.
  • Ordered and managed the procurement of all necessary equipment for Tiller 4, and assisted with the preparation and installation to ensure full operational readiness.
  • Maintained and organized the inventory in both the 77 and HQ stockrooms, ensuring all tools and equipment are readily available and properly accounted for.
  • Installed new thermal imagers on apparatus and repurposed older units for training purposes, ensuring both operational readiness and training efficiency.
  • Performed routine servicing on critical equipment, including ladders, QRAEs, and E-tools, to maintain functionality and reliability.
  • Ordered new 4-gas detectors for QRAEs, ensuring that personnel are equipped with up-to-date and reliable air quality monitoring tools.

FY 2024-25 Program Initiatives

  • Maintain accurate T&E inventories and ensure all apparatus are fully stocked with necessary tools and equipment.
  • Integrate new 4-gas detectors and thermal imagers across all apparatus for enhanced safety and operational readiness.
  • Facilitate professional development by attending industry conferences for new T&E members.
  • Regularly service critical equipment like ladders, 4-gas detectors, and E-tools to maintain optimal functionality.
  • Implement Qwake cameras for improved situational awareness during operations.
  • Procure new battery-powered fans and ensure all crews complete apparatus inventories to maintain operational efficiency.

Program Expenditure Summary

Expenditure Analysis

  • Materials and Supplies: This category includes expenditures for general supplies, equipment, software, equipment parts, travel, and conference registrations. An increase of $54,100 is primarily driven by higher purchase requests for general supplies and equipment in the new fiscal year.
  • Contract Services: This includes costs associated with general equipment maintenance, evaluations, and other contract services. The increase of $20,500 reflects anticipated higher costs for evaluation services and general contractor fees for ladders, gas monitors and other tools testing in the coming year.
  • Fixed Assets: In FY 2024-25, all fixed asset purchases will be accounted for under the Capital Improvement Projects Fund. The fixed asset expenditure request for the current year is for the purchase of apparatus equipment upgrades and new thermal imaging cameras.