Local brief
Try before buying: Fire Department proposes a three-brand gear test
The request calls for 60 days of testing under working conditions. Ricochet's attached form marks 90 days, and its terms spell out what happens when the loan ends.
Current coverage updates this story. Aldermen OK a three-brand gear tryout for firefighters →
Starkville's Fire Department wants firefighters to put three brands of protective gear through a working-condition tryout before choosing a manufacturer. Its request, prepared for the Mississippi city's Oct. 20, 2026, Board of Aldermen meeting, proposes a 60-day comparison of Ricochet, Lion and Globe.[1]
The department would assess performance, comfort, durability, mobility, fit and overall functionality—not just compare specifications on paper.[1]
The city's coversheet describes no financial impact during the trial. That is not a promise of free gear afterward: Ricochet's attached terms describe a loan beginning when the equipment arrives, followed by an invoice at 50% off the current list price when the trial ends, with payment due within 30 days.[1]
Returning the Ricochet gear is another option. The terms require prepaid return freight and properly cleaned garments; an optional third-party cleaning service would cost the department $100 per set.[1]
One detail needs reconciliation: the city's request specifies 60 days, while Ricochet's attached form marks 90 days. The packet does not resolve which duration would govern. It documents the proposal, not whether aldermen approved it or when a trial began.[1]
Sources
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Reporting history
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Aldermen OK a three-brand gear tryout for firefighters
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