VIDEO: Firefighters battling blazes can face a critical challenge: running out of air. A new apartment complex in downtown Rapid City, Block 5, is making history by addressing this issue head-on, becoming the first building in South Dakota to feature a Firefighter Air Replenishment System (FARS).
Installed by Western States Fire Protection, FARS is a crucial safety feature that allows firefighters to refill their air tanks directly within the building during an emergency. This innovative system significantly streamlines fire response operations, enhancing both efficiency and safety.
Traditionally, firefighters must carry multiple spare air bottles up flights of stairs and return to their trucks at ground level for replacements when their air supply depletes. With FARS, responders can now refill their tanks at designated standpipe locations on the 3rd, 6th and 9th floors of Block 5.
“It’s huge for us,” said Brian Povandra, Division Chief of Fire Operations for Rapid City Fire Department. “Me as a Division Chief, it just lets me know that my firefighters are that much safer going into that structure. You know, if you have a fire on one of those upper floors it really takes a lot to not only get to the fire but to fight the fire and perform anything they have to during that incident.”
Povandra expressed his hope that new construction projects in Rapid City will also implement the replenishment system, further improving firefighter safety across the city.