A 2027 gear care line item is four numbers added together: inspections (fleet × rate), cleaning program costs, a history-based repair reserve, and consumables — hoods and gloves — on their own replacement clocks. Here is the worksheet, with the arguments attached.
The four numbers
- 1. Inspections: every set in service × the per-set advanced inspection rate (published here) — the non-negotiable backbone.
- 2. Cleaning program: PPE-safe cleaner stock, extractor maintenance, and the advanced cleans your exposure count actually generated this year — pull the log, count them, price next year at the same rate.
- 3. Repair reserve: average your last two years of repair invoices. New program with no history? Reserve a modest percentage of fleet replacement value and refine next year.
- 4. Consumables: hoods and gloves cycle in a few years, not a decade — divide their fleet count by their cycle and fund the fraction annually.
Present it as protection, not maintenance
The line item competes with hose and turnout replacement — frame it with the same word: protection. The inspection reports from this year are your exhibits; the cascade math (care dollars versus premature replacement dollars) is your closer. Boards fund what they understand.
One upgrade worth proposing
If the budget has any headroom, second sets for the busiest companies return more protection per dollar than nearly anything else on the equipment sheet — and they flatten next year’s care costs too.
FAQ
What does a typical per-set annual care cost come to?
Build it from the price list for your fleet — five minutes with a calculator beats any rule of thumb.
Can Heiman ISP quote the whole year?
Yes — request an annual program quote and take one number to the board.