ABBOTSFORD, British Columbia — Abbotsford is suing an SCBA manufacturer, alleging nearly $500,000 worth of equipment bought two years ago is dangerous and failed repeatedly.
Abby News reported that the devices, bought the by the City of Abbotsford, have already been replaced. The city filed the suit Tuesday against manufacturer Avon Protection Systems and its dealer Northwest Safework Solutions. The city bought 83 SCBA units from the manufacturer in September 2014 for $471,487.
In the lawsuit, the city says that as it attempted to put the units into service, they found the O-rings “prone to failure, which would cause the air supply contained in the Avon Units to leak, and to be depleted within a time of less than one minute.” The suit also claims the units didn’t seat properly within the frames, which hindered the removing and exchanging cylinders.
The city said they notified the company about the defects, but the problems were not fixed. They’re seeking damages along with payment for costs associated with the purchase of the units.
Avon and Northwest Safework Solutions have not commented on the lawsuit.