A firefighter’s duty to the community is to stop fires from spreading. And having this kind of job is tough in the sense that these professionals are regularly exposed to flames, extreme temperatures, and even chemicals from scorched objects. In fact, different fire incidents also have different levels of risk in terms of exposure. That is why fire departments in the United States have policies for cleaning and decontaminating PPEs after every fire response to ensure the safety of their firefighters.
Read more as we are going to tackle firefighter turnout gear cleaning to reduce the risk of chemical exposure in today’s entry.
A Study On Firefighter PPE And Exposure To Chemicals And Hydrocarbons
In a 2017 study, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAH and other chemicals may go through the firefighter turnout gear. And hydrocyanide as well as volatile organic compounds can also penetrate the PPE immediately after being exposed to these elements.
As a result, these chemicals may reach the wearer’s skin, which can then lead to health hazards and even skin cancer. Even worse, a soiled protective gear that is not cleaned may pass on dangerous chemicals and particulates to the public when the wearer is responding to a firefighting incident.
So the key takeaway that we can learn from this study is properly clean and decontaminate turnout gears after every fire, wildfire, car accident, or other events where life-threatening chemicals and particulates are present.
Where Do These Chemicals Come From?
Structural fires produce a diverse mix of chemicals from burning paints, carpets, roofs, insulation, etc. Likewise, items like plastic and household cleaning agents produce toxic fumes when burned which can cling to the firefighter’s PPE as they are putting out the fire. These chemicals can range from hazardous gases like benzene, nitrogen oxide, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, vinyl chloride, and fumes from heated metals.
Why Turnout Gear Cleaning And Decontamination Is Important?
According to experts, here are the reasons why proper cleaning and decontamination of firefighter PPEs are important:
1. Prevention From Chemical Exposure – A clean turnout gear ensures the wearer will not be at risk of getting skin cancer due to the biohazard chemical contact from fire.
2. Safeguard The Wearer’s Health From Contaminated Blood And Body Fluids – Firefighters are expected to save victims from fire. And while emergency responders are doing their duty, they are also exposed to blood and body fluids which may contain hepatitis, AIDS, and other kinds of viruses.
3. Ensure Optimum Efficiency Of The PPE – Soiled turnout gear is less effective since it is less resistant to heat, which can even make the gear flammable due to the chemicals sticking on the fabric. Hence, proper cleaning and decontamination are essential to ensure maximum protection during of the wearer during firefighting situations.
How To Clean Firefighter PPE?
A firefighter turnout gear must be cleaned in accordance with the NFPA 1851 guidelines. To be specific, the gear should be washed using a washer-extractor with the correct water temperature and detergent. And that the machine should be programmed at the automatic injection setting.
After washing, the gear should be air-dried at 105 degrees as this is also a part of the decontamination process.
If you’re looking to purchase new wildland firefighter PPE’s and firefighter stationwear uniforms, you can go to Crewboss’ online store today.