What are your procedures for cleaning bunker gear?

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Permalink Reply by Paul Montpetit on November 8, 2009 at 10:36am

We have a commercial type washer and we either hang the gear to drip dry or we sometimes hang it in the hose dryer....our SOG's state that all PPE is to be washed after every fire....The drainage goes down the sewer....Paul

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Permalink Reply by Lee Kasten on November 11, 2009 at 11:06pm

As a rep for turnout gear and a fire fighter, I can tell you that you should clean your gear at the scene with a hose line to get the majority of the dirt off of your gear. If further cleaning is necessary, you should wash your outer shell in a washer extractor with a detergent such as Tide. You do not need expensive gear detergent. You should however make sure that you wash the liners and the outer shells separately. When you wash them, make sure zippers or clasps are closed and all velcro secured. This will work for any blood that you may get on your gear as long as you are using a commercial washer/extractor. You just have to make sure your washer does not reach RPM's that exceed 100 RPM. You can also refer to NFPA 1851, the standard for care, cleaning and maintenance of turnout gear. Feel free to contact me with any further questions you may have.

Lee Kasten
Paul Conway Shields
920-858-1039

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