In the post 9/11 era, equipment was provided to law enforcement agencies to better address changing dynamics facing the United States regarding domestic terrorism.  One specific asset was a respiratory protection system – AVON FM12. Gas masks were obtained through ILEAS (Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System) supported by Homeland Security grant funds.  Masks were issued to each police officer in Arlington Heights. Training and annual fit testing has occurred since 2002. Daily deployment, training and normal wear-and-tear has been experienced.  The FM12 units are in need of replacement.  AVON no longer warranties the unit and stopped making repair parts.  No grant funding is available or expected to assist in updating this sensitive piece of equipment.

AVON introduced a new generation replacement for their FM12 - the C50.  Like the FM12, the C50 provides respiratory protection from chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and other toxic irritants such as tear gas.  The Department’s technology used to test functionality of the FM12 is compatible with the C50, so that $8,000 asset will not need to be replaced with the purchase of the C50 masks.

ILEAS is promoting an upgrade program wherein police agencies can trade-in their FM12 masks for new C50 masks and receive a $100 per unit allowance. Special pricing reduces the overall cost to $250 each.

The Village sought formal competitive bids for the purchase of replacement respiratory masks and related accessories.  Two vendors offered the following pricing:

    Vendor                               Trade-in allowance                 Total Bid

1) W.W. Grainger                           $5,500                               $37,973.10

2) Pro-Tech                                   $11,000                $28,700

The Police Department has utilized Pro-Tech Sales, a national distributor of law enforcement equipment, on numerous occasions and finds their delivery, support and customer service to be without question. They maintain a local distribution office in Elk Grove Village.

Funding is available in the Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Fund (Justice) account for this purchase.

RECOMMENDATION

For reasons set forth above, it is recommended that the Village Board enter into an agreement with Pro-Tech Sales of Berea, Ohio for the purchase of 110 AVON C50 respirator masks and accessories, less trade-in allowance, for a total price of $28,700.