By 
October 29, 2025
The work begins here in this nondescript downtown Huntsville warehouse long before the alarm sounds at a Huntsville Fire & Rescue (HFR) station.
This is where it starts, where HFR Support Services equips firefighters to answer that alarm.
This is where the air masks are tested, the turnout gear inspected and the trucks are maintained by the heroes behind the heroes.
“Anything that they need to operate and to provide the services for the community, we provide from this warehouse,” said Lesley Easter, HFR’s Logistics Division Manager.
That’s a big task. Firefighters are covered from head to toe in personal protective equipment (PPE) that must endure daunting environments. And then there is the equipment packed on the trucks – “We use every bit of real estate on the trucks,” she said.
Indeed, someone must take care of all this equipment.
Fire truck equipment and firefighter personal protective equipment is closely inspected by Huntsville Fire & Rescue Support Services
Scale of support
“We have a great staff,” Easter said. “We have two fire equipment technicians. They manage all the PPE, the truck equipment. They do preventative maintenance and repairs on equipment the firefighters use every day such as air packs.”
Support Services also has retired firefighters that provide insight and aid while making deliveries to the 20 HFR stations across the city as well as the training facility.
It is, on a smaller scale, much like the mission of Army Materiel Command (AMC) that is headquartered on Redstone Arsenal. Everything the warfighter needs in the field – from ammunition to socks – comes from AMC.
For HFR, it all culminates in what’s informally known as Warehouse Weeks in October. Every firefighter rotates through to have their PPE inspected and, if needed, repaired or replaced. This includes turnout gear – coats, pants, boots and helmets – as well as air masks and air packs.
The PPE is all tailor-made for firefighters. Even the fit of the masks undergoes a five-part test to ensure that none of the air is escaping through an ill fit and, at the same time, none of the smoke is invading the mask.
“Every person who is a certified firefighter has to come through,” Easter said.
The equipment is remarkably durable, a trait Easter attributes to quality manufacturers the City contracts with. Despite the wear and tear of the PPE, it usually withstands the rigors of the job.
Should an issue arise throughout the year, though, Support Services maintains a cache of equipment and material to supply firefighters. That can occasionally be a challenge, given that firefighters are off for two days after working their 24-hour shift. But systems are in place and deliveries are made to the firefighters at their station.
A Huntsville Fire & Rescue firefighter gets his oxygen mask checked for leaks.
Safety is No. 1
In short, safety is never compromised.
“Every decision we make is based upon safety,” Easter said. “If we arrive in the morning and somebody’s having an air pack issue, that gets addressed first.”
The safety priority goes for Huntsville residents, too. While firefighters have their Warehouse Week to provide a thorough inspection of their PPE, each station must bring its trucks to the warehouse for inspection during a separate week. All the equipment on the truck must be evaluated and replaced if necessary.
An example?
“All of the ground ladders come off the trucks and we’ve got a contractor here that puts the ladders on sawhorses,” Easter said. “They put it under a weight for a certain amount of time for it to pass the test.”
All medical equipment on the trucks is checked out as well as hoses, nozzles and a wealth of other equipment.
This is the work the heroes behind the heroes do on a daily basis to keep not only firefighters safe but also those they serve.
