With the help of a federal grant, the Rosenberg Fire Department is buying 32 Self-contained Breathing Apparatus units, which help provide breathable air in the midst of a fire or other hazardous environment.

After approval last week by Rosenberg City Council, the department will buy the equipment from Municipal Emergency Services of Houston, at a cost of $185,863.

Most of that - $159,480 - will come from a Department of homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters Grant. The remaining $26,383 will come from Rosenberg’s matching fund, and from money budgeted for SCBA upgrades.

Such units are considered among the most important personal protective equipment used by firefighters and rescue personnel, the city said, allowing them to enter fire scenes and perform victim searches and rescues, among other things.

The new SCBAs will replace outdated equipment that doesn’t meet current local and national standards.