Ledyard — The 17-year-old equipment that town firefighters use to breathe during hazardous situations soon will be upgraded, through a $242,096 grant from the federal government.

The Town Council voted Wednesday night to approve a bid waiver to Shipman's Fire Equipment, the only provider of the Scott Safety air tanks and equipment in the state.

Between the Ledyard and Gales Ferry fire companies, there are 41 canisters nearing the end of their 17-year service life. Since the fire companies bought the air canisters in 2002, the National Fire Protection Safety Association, which publishes fire codes, also has updated its equipment recommendations twice.

Each of the air canisters would have cost between $700 and $900 to replace, Gales Ferry Fire Chief Anthony Saccone said. In 2015, the town's fire companies first applied for a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters grant alongside several other companies in the region to purchase new equipment.

Though that bid for a grant was unsuccessful, just the companies within Ledyard applied a second time this November and were informed this month they would be awarded the grant.

Prepared by Emergency Management Director Russell Shaw, the grant application notes that both town fire companies have responded to 285 fires in the past four years, and 44 percent of those were structure fires.

"Both companies did a risk analysis and decided that replacement of (breathing equipment) is the highest priority," Shaw wrote.

Saccone said the priority is to get the most current technology in the hands of the town's firefighters. "All the technology is for better safety for the firefighters," he said.

The new equipment will have a tracking system, allowing personnel to track the movements of firefighters inside a burning building in real time for better coordination during fires in large or tall buildings. The emergency alarm triggered when a firefighter stops moving also has been updated and standardized.

New canisters also will be slimmer and weigh less, making them easier to maneuver and less of a burden in hazardous situations, such as narrow walkways.

When the fire companies first applied for the grant in 2015, the town set aside $46,432 to replace the canisters. After the grant is awarded, the town will have to cover only 5 percent of the costs, or $12,104, as a local match. The town will look at contributing the rest of the money it has set aside to a fund for the next time it needs to replace the equipment, in two decades.

n.lynch@theday.com