This Philadelphia Fire Department is dedicated to maintaining existing equipment and purchasing state-of-the-art equipment in order to better serve the citizens of Philadelphia and ensure the safety of our employees.

In 1999, the PFD acquired 650 units of the Scott 4.5 breathing apparatus system (SCBA). The SCBA system increases the available air supply to each firefighter from thirty to forty-five minutes, and is housed within a lighter weight carbon tank. Every firefighter was required to be custom-fitted for his or her facemask.