News For This Month:

Decontamination and Cleaning For Firefighters – New Suite of Products

There is an alarming rise in firefighter cancer rates, it’s only proper and important that you take all the necessary procedures to keep yourself, your team, and your department’s individual health in tip top shape. The best way of doing this is through decon procedures or decontamination procedures, these procedures are an easy and very effective way of protecting yourself and your team from the harmful carcinogens found in the equipment, gear, fire trucks, and even the station.

This procedure involves the use of a variety of special equipments and products for the firefighters to clean themselves, their gear, equipment and as well as the fire scene.

You can view here for more decontamination info.

The decon equipment and products work well in getting rid of the harmful particles. Priority and care is given to the firefighters themselves as they are the ones who receive the largest amount of exposure on the fire scene.

It is an important standard operating procedure that firefighters should always decontaminate themselves prior to leaving the fire scene. The decon procedures or decontamination procedures that firefighters perform include the removal of harmful particles and residue from their turnout gear, FR clothing, and the PPE, as well as from their dermal areas. Firefighters are offered on site decon kits and decon kit refill supplies to help with the decontamination procedures. These kits contain specialized decontamination products such as turnout gear, FR clothing, and PPE cleaning products and sprays as well as decontamination wipes, decon field wipes to remove heavy metal residue from skin as well as other decon gear.

Dirt, soot, and grime can easily be removed by your average super market and grocery store baby wipes but when getting rid of metals however, they are highly ineffective as regardless of how hard and intense you wipe down, metals wont just come off as they stick to the skin differently as opposed to how germs and dirt sticks. Intense burning of materials in the fire scene have the tendency of releasing heavy metal oxides that are virtually invisible to the naked eye such as the heating of stainless steel, ceramics, anti-corrosion coatings and chrome will release hexavalent chromium; and burning paint, carpets, and other household items and decorations will release lead oxide. Companies such as Hygenall manufactures products such as soaps, surface cleaners and baby wipe like products that are designed to clean soot and as well as more than 99% all of those metal oxides as well as other metals such as mercury, nickel, copper, arsenic and etc.

You can find more information about these decontamination products here!