By Alan M. Petrillo
Cleaning turnout gear to rid it of contaminants and toxins has become a regular facet of the firehouse routine.
Some departments have specialized machines in their stations designed to wash turnouts and remove contaminants. Departments that don’t clean their gear in-station send turnouts out to independent service providers who inspect, clean, and repair personal protective equipment (PPE) to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1851, Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting.
Gear Cleaning Equipment
Gary Gauthier, regional sales manager for Milnor Laundry Systems, Pellerin Milnor Corp., says his company makes industrial-grade washer-extractors that are preprogrammed for washing turnout gear to meet NFPA 1851. “We make 40-pound, 45-pound, 60-pound, and 80-pound Gear Guardian washer-extractors for washing turnout gear,” Gauthier says. “The 80-pound model will wash about six to seven garments at a time, the 60-pound will do four to five, the 45-pound about three, and the 40-pound about two to three.”
Gauthier says the various models have 30 programmable wash formulas, including 10 preprogrammed for decontaminating firefighter gear; have solid industrial bearings inside the machines so the equipment will last a long time if properly maintained; and are easy to use by pressing a couple of buttons to do a wash load. “Most fire stations have solid foundation requirements that allow lower-cost, rigid-mount machines to be used,” he adds, “which is more desirable than a soft-mount washer that can reach high G-force extracts.”
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| 1 Milnor Laundry Systems makes industrial-grade washer-extractors capable of handling loads from 25 to 160 pounds. Shown is the model 30015 T6X washer-extractor that has a capacity of 40 pounds. (Photo courtesy of Milnor Laundry Systems.) |
Milnor’s washer-extractors use a low agitation speed during the wash process, Gauthier points out, with water temperature not exceeding 100°F. Milnor uses a low extract speed, Gauthier says, “to eliminate the potential of hydro bursting the fabric of the garment. Water can get soaked in the garment after the wash process, and if you spin out the water too fast or use too much G force during extraction, you can damage the garment’s fabric and make it unsafe to use for the next time it needs to be employed to fight a fire.” Milnor also makes a dryer cabinet to dry the garments after extraction. The cabinet hangs a couple of turnouts and uses warm air to dry them, not exceeding 100°F.
Another maker of washer-extractors used in the fire service is UniMac®. Bill Brooks, UniMac’s North American sales manager, says UniMac’s most common model used in the fire service is the UW design, which is an industrial-strength washer. Brooks says the UW has an “overbuilt frame and heavier bearing and shaft design, giving it increased strength.” That’s important, he adds, because “the distribution of weight inside a washer for a load of turnout gear is not perfectly balanced and requires extra strength to assure a very long machine life.”
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Posted: Feb 11, 2016
Spring is right around the corner; it’s time to train; and your training officers want to bring “something new” into their programs. Have you ever given thought to contacting equipment manufacturers to help with this “something new”?
Many of us typically only contact manufacturers after we complete budget and needs assessments and we’ve appointed our purchasing committees-in whatever form or fashion that happens for your department. Next we call manufacturers or dealers for demos of the stuff we are interested in, right? What if we turned that equation upside down and backward? Why not turn conventional demos into training opportunities as part of your normal training schedules?
Changing the Normal Course
Equipment manufacturers and dealers spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year trying to develop two major areas of their respective businesses: establishing market presence and making new business contacts. They work toward these goals with tools that include everything from trade shows to print and Web advertising to demos and cold calls. All of these things are done in an attempt to garner interest in their products, with hopes of generating sales. What better opportunity to achieve these goals than to have their equipment or products being used in hands-on applications during actual firefighter/first responder training?
I have been a fire service/technical rescue instructor for many years, and I’m still blessed to be able to travel the world each year teaching brave souls who are dedicated to honing their craft. As an instructor, I am always on the lookout for state-of-the art-as well as tried-and-true-products and equipment that will help my students do a better job for those they serve while maintaining their personal safety and the safety of their crews. With this in mind, I routinely welcome reputable dealers and manufacturers who are willing to bring their goods out to our training events and allow fire-rescue personnel to put these products through our hard core training evolutions.
There is a lot to be said for a professional dealer or manufacturer’s rep who will bring equipment out to training, offer students a safety and instructional briefing on whatever they’ve brought out, and then stand back and let the students and their instructor work through a hands-on training program. These products and equipment need no selling or salespeople because they sell themselves. On the flip side of this equation, I have to caution the reader about those “others” who will want to steer, guide, or control your training for their benefit. Training and selling don’t mix. Selling-if there is to be any-can only happen once the prescribed department’s training has concluded.
Incorporating “new” (which can be defined in a number of different ways) equipment into some of your training events can allow you to see how your existing equipment measures up and perhaps put new equipment on your department’s wish list for future purchases. A classic example of this happened during a recent training trip to Louisiana, where I was doing a forcible entry scenario. One of the departments brought out its rotary saw for use. This saw was in good shape; however, it was an older (quite older), heavier saw, which members found tough to use because of the weight and lack of suspension features. The firefighters from that department were introduced to a line of newer rotary saws that were lighter and ergonomically friendlier than their existing saw. They found the new saws could be safely used by a greater number of members. As a result of seeing the benefits to the department and its community after having used these new saws during a controlled training operation, the commissioners put the new s
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- 3111
- Article rating: No rating
Posted: Feb 11, 2016
Spring is right around the corner; it’s time to train; and your training officers want to bring “something new” into their programs. Have you ever given thought to contacting equipment manufacturers to help with this “something new”?
Many of us typically only contact manufacturers after we complete budget and needs assessments and we’ve appointed our purchasing committees-in whatever form or fashion that happens for your department. Next we call manufacturers or dealers for demos of the stuff we are interested in, right? What if we turned that equation upside down and backward? Why not turn conventional demos into training opportunities as part of your normal training schedules?
Changing the Normal Course
Equipment manufacturers and dealers spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year trying to develop two major areas of their respective businesses: establishing market presence and making new business contacts. They work toward these goals with tools that include everything from trade shows to print and Web advertising to demos and cold calls. All of these things are done in an attempt to garner interest in their products, with hopes of generating sales. What better opportunity to achieve these goals than to have their equipment or products being used in hands-on applications during actual firefighter/first responder training?
I have been a fire service/technical rescue instructor for many years, and I’m still blessed to be able to travel the world each year teaching brave souls who are dedicated to honing their craft. As an instructor, I am always on the lookout for state-of-the art-as well as tried-and-true-products and equipment that will help my students do a better job for those they serve while maintaining their personal safety and the safety of their crews. With this in mind, I routinely welcome reputable dealers and manufacturers who are willing to bring their goods out to our training events and allow fire-rescue personnel to put these products through our hard core training evolutions.
There is a lot to be said for a professional dealer or manufacturer’s rep who will bring equipment out to training, offer students a safety and instructional briefing on whatever they’ve brought out, and then stand back and let the students and their instructor work through a hands-on training program. These products and equipment need no selling or salespeople because they sell themselves. On the flip side of this equation, I have to caution the reader about those “others” who will want to steer, guide, or control your training for their benefit. Training and selling don’t mix. Selling-if there is to be any-can only happen once the prescribed department’s training has concluded.
Incorporating “new” (which can be defined in a number of different ways) equipment into some of your training events can allow you to see how your existing equipment measures up and perhaps put new equipment on your department’s wish list for future purchases. A classic example of this happened during a recent training trip to Louisiana, where I was doing a forcible entry scenario. One of the departments brought out its rotary saw for use. This saw was in good shape; however, it was an older (quite older), heavier saw, which members found tough to use because of the weight and lack of suspension features. The firefighters from that department were introduced to a line of newer rotary saws that were lighter and ergonomically friendlier than their existing saw. They found the new saws could be safely used by a greater number of members. As a result of seeing the benefits to the department and its community after having used these new saws during a controlled training operation, the commissioners put the new s
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- 3093
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