Logan Township United Fire Department Chief Rusty Shoenfelt (left) watches as Williamsburg Volunteer Fire Department Chief Travis Prough demonstrates mask testing equipment purchased by the UPMC Altoona Foundation. Mirror photo by William Kibler

The UPMC Altoona Foundation has purchased a $16,000 suite of equipment for testing the personalized fit of facemasks on self-contained breathing apparatus used by Blair County’s 22 fire departments.

The testing is needed annually for all firefighters to ensure they don’t breathe the highly toxic gases encountered from the burning of petroleum-based products typical of modern buildings, according to UPMC and fire department officials at a news conference Wednesday at Logan Township United Fire Department on Grandview Road.

The sharing of the equipment among departments will replace the current “hodgepodge” of testing regimens used by those departments — most of which pay vendors for testing, some of which use the spraying of a bitter substance over the masks, with leaks indicated when firefighter taste the bitterness, according to United Chief Rusty Shoenfelt.

The foundation funded the project upon being asked by the Blair County Fire Chiefs Association, Shoenfelt said.

The project was recommended by foundation trustee and recently retired Altoona firefighter Paul Cunningham, who looks at safety-related grant requests, said foundation President Tim Balconi.

Years ago, many firefighters were too proud to use protective breathing apparatus, according to Shoenfelt and Altoona Deputy Chief Mike Hawksworth.

“It was a different culture,” Shoenfelt said.

It was also less dangerous, because typical home furnishings were made of natural materials like wood and wool, Hawksworth said.

Now, a small infusion of poison gas from burning petrochemicals can “put you down” — or else create “a lifetime of issues,” Hawksworth said.

“The ultimate goal is we want to get them back home,” after a fire call, Shoenfelt said. “We don’t want their demise to be a result of their service.”

The equipment works by using a hose connected to a fitting at the bottom of the mask to create a vacuum inside the mask while it is being worn. If the equipment detects that the vacuum is compromised, the mask doesn’t fit, and a different size needs to be used.

Testing takes about five minutes and involves the firefighter in a normal stance, then bent over, then shaking his or her head, followed by two additional tests in a normal stance, but with the mask loosened, then retightened, to ensure that movement and repeated donning doesn’t cause a leak.

Vendors are not only expensive, but they’ve become harder to access — with one department having to wait two months for testing, one firefighter said.

One said his department has been spending $1,200 annually for vendor testing.

The Altoona Fire Department spends $3,000 annually for vendor testing, said Chief Adam Free.

Well-fitting masks are especially critical for the Altoona department’s hazmat team — which functions as the county’s hazmat team, Free said.

The masks need retested annually because sometimes, the shapes of people’s faces change, especially if they’ve gained or lost weight, officials said.

One common obstacle to a tight seal is a beard, which is why firefighters who want facial hair often settle for mustaches, Shoenfelt said.

The new equipment will likely be housed at Grandview, but will be “on the road” most of the time, Shoenfelt predicted.

Having the equipment easily available will ease the problem of getting a test for a new firefighter who joins a department long before the next collective testing occurs, Shoenfelt said.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.