Peachtree City will be spending $16,600 to replace two thermal imagers for the fire department instead of paying almost $8,000 to repair them.

Both of the units being replaced are currently broken down, with one of the units being five years old while the other four years old. They are the same brand as currently used by the fire department which will help insure operational consistency due to the technology involved, said Battalion Chief Ron Mundy.

The thermal imagers are critical to the department’s search and rescue operations, Mundy told the City Council at a special meeting Tuesday morning.

Mundy said only two vendors could provide bids because the manufacturer has just two authorized dealers in the area.

The winning bid was from FireLine, Inc. and the other bid, for $30,734, was from Fisher Scientific. Mundy said he thought FireLine provided a better price because it sold the city its previous thermal imagers.

“They were just able to provide a better price for the product,” Mundy said.

The city has a total of six thermal imagers including the two units that are broken down and being replaced, officials said.