By Alan M. Petrillo
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.
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, m
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Posted: Jan 23, 2023
E-ONE—North Attleboro (MA) Fire Department pumper. Typhoon long cab and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; Darley PSM 1,500-gpm pump; 530-gallon polypropylene water tank; Command Light KLH 15 light tower; Akron Apollo deck gun; dual speedlays with storage above for a stokes basket and Little Giant ladder. Dealer: Mark McDonald, Greenwood Emergency Vehicles, North Attleboro, MA.
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Posted: Jan 23, 2023
Conway Volunteer Fire Department received a 1938 Darley, a fire engine it once owned 50 years ago, Sunday after it was donated back to Conway from Satellite Beach (FL) Fire Department. Conway Fire Chief Daniel Byrne told KDKA that the truck was donated in the 1970’s when it was replaced with a newer truck.
The following message was posted on Conway’s Facebook page from Chief Byrne:
“Our originally owned 1938 Darley fire engine was donated back to us from the Satellite Beach Fire Department in Florida. Lisa Davis from the fire department reached out to me and was asking questions about it. I told her it was ours and she gave me the Fire Chief Dave Abernathy to contact. I asked him if we can buy it back and he said we will donate it if we pay for all the expenses to bring it back to Conway. I said sure and he said it was yours so I reached out to Joe from Tow Integrity. He talked to the owner who said they will bring it back at no cost to us. A big thanks to Satellite Fire Department and Tow Integrity enabling our 1938 Darly fire engine to come back home to Conway.”
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