Decontamination of firefighter turnout gear and equipment starts at the fire scene, with some departments choosing to bag and transport, while others go with gross decon of turnouts and some equipment. Makers of decon equipment have come up with various methods for firefighters to perform gross decon on fire scenes.
Phil Gerace, vice president of marketing for Task Force Tips, says TFT’s DECON/pak Portable Decontamination System is a self-contained agent proportioning and rinse application system developed specifically for gross decon of firefighters and their equipment. The DECON/pak is a 2½-gallon polypropylene concentrate tank that weighs 10 pounds and can be pressurized by a 1-inch or 1½-inch hoseline. Flow through a 12-foot discharge hose is controlled by a twist grip valve that also functions as a carrying handle, and the unit has a selector for agent proportioning from 0.1 to 0.5 percent for cleaning agent or can be set to rinse with water only.
Erik Ward, TFT’s health segment leader, notes that the DECON/pak can reduce particulate contamination of gear and equipment by 85 percent but does not remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs). He says TFT’s Crew Protect is a great solution for use in apparatus cabs, using molecular air filtration that cleans the cab air as long as the truck’s engine is running. He notes that Crew Protect is available in a variety of models for different sized cabs, from full-size trucks to SUVs.
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1 Task Force Tips makes the DECON/pak Portable Decontamination System developed specifically for gross decon of firefighters and their equipment. (Photos 1-2 courtesy of Task Force Tips.)
2 TFT’s Crew Protect unit uses molecular air filtration to clean the air in an apparatus cab whenever the vehicle’s engine is running.
For those departments that bag contaminated turnout gear and return it to the station to decon, as well as departments that simply want the greatest amount of decon protection in their stations, TFT makes Station Protect, Ward points out. “Station Protect eliminates the transfer of contamination to the living areas of the station by eliminating VOCs, particulates, mold, ozone, and aerosols that carry viruses and bacteria,” Ward says. “Improving the health of a station is a secondary benefit.”
For on-scene decon of turnout gear and firefighting equipment, Safe Fleet’s Elkhart Brass Company makes the XD Washdown Kit, says Chris Martin, Safe Fleet’s director of product marketing for fire, EMS and industrial. Martin notes that the XD Washdown Kit contains a XD Washdown Nozzle made of lightweight aluminum with stainless-steel and brass components, including a trigger-controlled variable spray pattern that instantly shuts off when the trigger is released. The nozzle flows 7 gallons per minute (gpm) at 100 pounds per square inch (psi), has a brass swivel inlet adapter to eliminate hose twists at the nozzle, is rated for 150 psi with brass couplings, and has an insulated rubber cover. The kit also includes 50 feet of 5⁄8-inch garden hose rated for pressures up to 300 psi when equipped with brass couplings and a carrying bag with seat belt handles and vents to aid in drying after putting it away wet.
3 Safe Fleet’s Elkhart Brass Company makes the XD Washdown Kit for on-scene decon of turnout gear and equipment. (Photos 3-4 courtesy of Safe Fleet.)
4 A firefighter uses the XD Washdown Kit with its 7-gpm nozzle to decon a fellow firefighter’s turnout gear and equipment.
Lou Vicelli, manager of business and staff development for W.S. Darley & Company, says Darley offers a collapsible Portable Decon Shower made out of 1½-inch PVC tubing designed for deconning at a scene. The unit has a crisscross water flow pattern for greater cleaning and breaks down to fit in a 42-inch by 26-inch by 12-inch canvas carrying duffel bag.
Darley also offers a Decon Shelter and Shower system; a Decon Spray Hoop for self or partner decon; and the Heatseeker H2O cap, an apparatus discharge spray adapter that can be used for gross decon of turnout gear and equipment.
5 W.S. Darley & Company offers a collapsible Portable Decon Shower made out of 1½-inch PVC tubing for on-scene decon of firefighters. (Photos 5-6 courtesy of W.S. Darley & Company.)
6 Darley offers a Decon Spray Hoop that firefighters can use to decon themselves or a partner.
Husky Portable Containment makes a decon shower system that can be set up anywhere water is available. The system includes a PVC shower with four shower heads, hose with a hand sprayer, a 4-foot by 8-foot by 1-foot steel or aluminum frame decon pool (5- by 5-foot and 4- by 4-foot units are also available), and a carry bag. The system is made of PVC construction with quick connect cam lock fittings, and the four shower nozzles put out 4.2 gpm at 40 psi. Shower weight with the curtain and storage bag is 70 pounds, and the assembled dimensions are 42 by 36 by 84 inches.
Michael McKinnon, product manager at Hygenall Government Products, says Hygenall® makes an on-scene DeconKit™ that can decon four firefighters and one vehicle.
McKinnon says the kit contains Hygenall’s ToxOff® surface and PPE cleaner, FieldWipes® in a nonalcohol and nonfragrance version, FieldScrub®, decon brush, paper towels, disposable gloves, and N95 paper masks.
He adds that Hygenall recently introduced a new laundry detergent, ToxOff Laundry, which removes all types of chemicals that firefighters are typically exposed to.
7 First Responder Decon makes the Rehnke Decon Kit, designed to decon a crew of four firefighters. (Photo 7 courtesy of First Responder Decon.)
Ed Cunningham, chief executive officer of First Responder Decon, says his company makes the Official Rehnke Decon Kit, designed for a crew of four firefighters. Cunningham says the kit uses a Doff ‘n DECON compound made by Intelagard that allows completion of gross decon on the site as firefighters come off the line for their turnout gear and equipment as well as their bodies and skin. He adds that Doff ‘n DECON also can be aerosolized for deconning the interior of vehicle cabs, air-conditioning systems, and rooms and also can be used as a laundry detergent.
ALAN M. PETRILLO is a Tucson, Arizona-based journalist, the author of three novels and five nonfiction books, and a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Editorial Advisory Board. He served 22 years with the Verdoy (NY) Fire Department, including in the position of chief.
