A campaign of the Grosse Pointe Park Public Safety Foundation · 501(c)(3)
Protecting Those Who Protect Us
A community campaign to raise $300,000 and replace every self-contained breathing apparatus protecting Grosse Pointe Park's firefighters — before the current equipment reaches its mandated end of life.
Like the pressure gauge on a firefighter's air tank, the campaign starts in the red — and every gift moves the needle toward full.
Help fill the tankThe equipment
A Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus is the harness, mask, and air tank that supplies a firefighter with clean, compressed air inside smoke-filled, toxic, or oxygen-deficient environments — protecting their lungs from toxic gases, chemical fumes, and superheated air.
The system maintains positive pressure inside the mask: if the seal is ever slightly compromised, clean air pushes out, so toxic smoke can't seep in. Without a working SCBA, entering a burning building is impossible.
Why now
The National Fire Protection Association sets strict service-life maximums for rescue equipment, mandating total replacement at 15 years. Grosse Pointe Park's current SCBAs were manufactured in 2013 — the entire inventory must be replaced within the next two years to remain compliant and safe.
What $300,000 buys
This isn't an open-ended fund — it's a specific equipment list, defined by the Department, that re-equips every firefighter and restores mutual-aid compatibility with our neighboring departments.
One for every firefighting position — replacing the AirPak75 units bought in 2013.
4,500 psi cylinders, each carrying 45 minutes of breathing air — two per harness, standardized with neighboring departments.
A sealed facepiece for every officer, professionally fit-tested to each firefighter's face.
A portable rescue air system — the lifeline crews deploy if a firefighter becomes trapped.
Lets the Department's existing air compressor refill the new tanks.
Firefighter alarm batteries and charger, plus professional fit-testing for every mask.
The honest question
Public Safety already accounts for roughly 60% of the City's entire budget — and 80–85% of that goes to people: salaries, benefits, and retiree obligations. What remains must cover maintenance, vehicles, utilities, training, and every capital project.
Those competing capital needs are real: in-car computers, an emergency generator for the building, body cameras, radio equipment, and a fire truck closing in on 26 years of service. The Department is pursuing grants and appropriations — but those are competitive and not guaranteed, and the SCBA deadline doesn't wait.
Supporting public services beyond the tax base is an old American tradition — library friends groups, school booster clubs, hospital auxiliaries. The Foundation is that same tradition, applied to the people who answer 911.
Figures from the Department of Public Safety's campaign briefing.
From the Director of Public Safety
"The replacement of our SCBA breathing air tanks is a matter of life safety for our firefighters. It's imperative that they have clean air and protective equipment in order to go into these hazardous environments of smoke and heat to save lives and protect property. Thank you for your consideration and supporting your Public Safety Officers."Chief James A. Bostock · Director of Public Safety
Donor recognition
Every donor of $50 or more is recognized on the permanent donor wall at Public Safety Headquarters (unless anonymity is requested). Gifts of $250+ are also recognized on the Foundation website and annual report; gifts of $1,000+ include an invitation to the annual Donor Appreciation Reception.
Give once or monthly — 100% of your gift reaches the Foundation. Prefer to give by check? Make it payable to Grosse Pointe Park Public Safety Foundation, 822 St. Clair Ave, Unit H, Grosse Pointe, MI 48230.
The Grosse Pointe Park Public Safety Foundation is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN 88-2646112. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Planning a gift of $2,500 or more, or giving stock or through a donor-advised fund? Contact campaign leadership directly — we'd like to thank you personally.
Everything on this page is up for debate — nothing above this panel is final. The imagery is placeholder: every photo can be swapped, and none has been selected by the group. The copy is equally provisional — every headline, section, and sentence is a working draft awaiting review and rewrite by the messaging team; no wording here should be read as settled. Structure, section order, colors, and type are likewise open. This mockup exists to give the group something concrete to react to, not to lock anything in.
SCBA definition, NFPA 15-year mandate, 2013 manufacture date,
equipment inventory and needs list, mutual-aid compatibility, budget
percentages, competing capital projects, and the closing quote are all
drawn from Director Bostock's letter "What is an SCBA? Why do we need
to replace them?" (Department letterhead). Recognition tiers are from
the campaign plan. Hero background is the equipment photo
IMG_3246 from the foundation website uploads. Gauge
reading ($0 / 0%) is the current campaign starting point.
gppsf-chiefs-letter-scba.pdf (the Department-letterhead
letter); opens in a new tab.
The letter says replacement is required "within the next two years" —
that phrasing is relative to the letter's date, so the site should
state a fixed year (2013 + 15 = 2028) once the Chief confirms; this
page currently uses the neutral phrase "mandated end of life." The
letter lists (13) MSA Scott AirPak75 harnesses; MSA and
Scott are distinct manufacturers, so have the Department confirm exact
make/model before publishing. Budget percentages should be
re-confirmed against the current fiscal year before launch. The
"community tradition" sentence in the Why-doesn't-the-City section is
proposed messaging for Jaymie's review.
The three bars are a nested decomposition drawn to a common scale (the full City budget): the lower two tracks are 60% wide — slices of the Public Safety share — and the "left for everything else" bar fills from the right so the flame remainder aligns with where the personnel fill ends.