It looked like Christmas came early for the Laurel Fire Department Friday.

“This equipment represents the latest, most innovative design in self contained breathing apparatuses (SCBA),” said LFD Chief Steve Russell. “There are a great deal of new features built right into the harnesses, masks and air tanks that will make our jobs easier and much, much safer.”

Inside the LFD Training Center on Hillcrest Drive, firefighters were trying on the new SCBAs, breathing through the much-improved masks and generally just learning where all the bells and whistles were.

“These are great safety assets for us,” said LFD Battalion Chief and Safety Officer Alfred Jordan.

The SCBAs are part of a $247,000 grant awarded to the LFD recently through the United States Department of Homeland Security. Lance Chancellor and Richard O’Neal of Southern Fire Equipment in Laurel assisted the LFD in the grant application phase.

“We are in the fire prevention business and are volunteer firefighters ourselves,” said Chancellor, who was on hand at the training center to assist in showing the LFD firefighters how the new SCBAs worked.

Key components to the new SCBAs, according to Jordan, are the safety instruments that have been built right into the harness. Gone are metal harnesses that pinch the backs of firefighters as they try to fight a fire. Gone also are the heavy steel air tanks that zap their strength. Fatigue happens quickly, and whenever weight can be taken from the equipment, that loss of burdensome pounds extends the fighting time of the firefighters.

“These are aluminum tanks, so that takes off quite a few pounds right there,” noted Jordan. “We can put more air in the same size tanks, so with less effort, the firefighter can be in the fight much longer. In our business, every second counts.”

Air supply is also critical for SCBAs. A firefighter doesn’t have to refer anymore to a gauge hanging on the harness to see how much air he has left. Instead, indicator lights inside the mask show air levels at all times.

On the left side of the harness is the passive alert safety system (PASS), an alarm that sounds when a firefighter is in distress. In many cases when fighting fires, firemen get separated from their teams, especially in large buildings. The PASS enables other firemen to quickly locate their comrades.

Another problem with the masks concerned verbal communication. With the old masks, firefighters had to scream in order to be heard. But the new equipment comes with an external speaker.

“It also allows the fireman to better communicate with us outside the fire scene via their clip on radios,” Jordan pointed out.

The grant will enable the LFD to completely outfit all of their 57 firefighters by providing 38 harnesses and packs along with another 38 spare air tanks. Each firefighter will have his or her own mask.

“The fire act grant has been invaluable for departments in regards to upgrading their equipment,” said Chancellor. “These firemen will have all new equipment from head to toe along with a new thermal imaging system.”