Dec. 6. By Dave Vieser. The Cornelius Town Board has committed more than $750,000 to fund public safety items including new self-contained breathing apparatus for the Fire Dept. as well as new portable radios for the Cornelius Police Dept.

Self-contained Breathing Apparatus (SBA):

The Cornelius Fire Department currently is using Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus units that are 10 years old, near the end of its useful life. The Town received an offer from Rhinehart Fire Services of Asheville for $560,299.70 to provide the following:

—52 new breathing packs
—90 air cylinders,
—100 Kevlar head-nets (holds breathing mask to a firefighter’s head)
—7 RIT Paks (Rapid Intervention Kits for downed firefighters).

The Town is using state grant funds for the purchase of these Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus, which should arrive by May of 2025.

New portable police radios:

The commissioners approved a contract with Motorola Solutions to purchase (40) new handheld radios for the police department. The total amount of the purchase is $266,747.77.

Portable radios are a vital tool in the various public safety measures conducted by the Cornelius Police on a daily basis.