FIREFIGHTER  DECONTAMINATION SERVICES

Thin Red Line Decon believes that it is critical to include fire personnel in the care and maintenance of their PPE. We want to encourage YOU to be part of the solution to preserving your health and safety. For this reason, we have partnered with Independent Service Providers (ISPs) who are verified to provide certified NFPA 1851 educational and training classes. Our goal is to work alongside you as you develop your own NFPA 1851 program.

The class provides training for your department personnel who are responsible for ensuring compliance with the NFPA1851 Standard. This training includes helping you establish a care and maintenance program outlined by Chapter 4, as well as Advanced Inspection according to Chapter 6. The program can be customized to meet your department operating guidelines and safety expectations. Our goal is to help you maintain the safety of your PPE and reduce the overall cost of ownership in the process.

The World Health Organization has classified occupational exposure as a firefighter as a KNOWN carcinogen. It is nearly impossible to find someone in the fire service that does not have a colleague impacted by occupational illness, especially cancer.

Studies support that decontamination after exposure to smoke and other products of combustion is an important step in reducing the risk of occupational cancers in the fire service. Knowing this, we would assume that all firefighters would be eager to quickly clean up while still on-scene. However, many struggle to make the behavioral changes necessary to implement a post-fire decontamination protocol to lower exposure to carcinogens. While no one is pro-cancer, the culture of a fire department may suggest they are willing to accept the risks they face on the fire ground and after the call by not removing the products of combustion from skin and gear.  Changing habits in the fire service is difficult at best!

Based on the best seller, “Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones” we have developed a system to break bad habits and build good ones in relation to a post-fire decontamination protocol. This program is developed for every member of the fire service, from the rank-and-file firefighter to the fire chief. Change of this magnitude must occur from the top down AND from the bottom up. Therefore, engaging every rank and position in the fire service is critical.

This program is designed to show the science behind changing habits and the methodology to ensure success in building good habits and breaking bad habits relative to post-fire decontamination. The hope is this will create a healthier fire service that will allow firefighters across the globe to have a healthy career and retirement.

We understand there are unique and specific occupational health risks associated with firefighting. These include elevated cancer rates, cardiovascular events, and behavioral health disorders and diseases. Firefighters are a department’s most valuable asset. Maintaining their health and well-being should be a primary consideration in the design of a new station or re-design of an existing facility.

Many departments are implementing Preliminary Exposure Reduction (PER) Plans which provide for on-scene decontamination of gear and equipment. However, additional cleaning and decontamination is likely necessary. A process for this must make sense, be easy to follow, and reinforce desired behavior.

One of the fundamental changes in the 4th Edition of NFPA 1851 in August 2019 has been defining exposure to products of combustion as “contamination.” This translates to an exposure to products of combustion warranting advanced cleaning. This new requirement suggests many departments may be installing gear extractors, drying racks, and other machinery to decontaminate gear, equipment, and tools quickly and effectively.

The storage of PPE is also critical. It should be stored in a dedicated room with isolated HVAC and good air movement to allow for the removal of residual contaminants from off-gassing. It is also recommended that the room be free from sunlight to minimize UV degradation. Finishes and furnishings in any PPE decontamination and storage area must also be durable and easy to clean.

Adequate planning is the key to addressing the unique needs of a fire department. By combining multiple design strategies, we can help a department provide appropriate spaces within their facility. With more than a decade of experience working for an architectural firm that specializes in fire station design, it would be our pleasure to provide you with consultation services to ensure your department maximizes your opportunities for keeping your personnel healthy!

Thin Red Line Decon makes decontamination simple! We have EVERYTHING you need to be clean – on scene, back at the station, and in between.