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Care and Maintenance of PPE
Lately we have had a few issues with our people keeping their gear in order. I wondered what everyone else does. I want to have a training class on care & maintenance of PPE.
We tend to go through gloves & hoods. I realize they are easily lost and that does happen. They aren't made to last forever but they are your tools and your protection and they need to be kept serviceable. They can be washed!! There is a tag on them that tells you how to wash them. Why people like to wear them until they are so disgusting with sweat & smoke they are stiff I don't understand. But I tend to preach about keeping your gear clean, not because it looks better but because it also lasts longer. Besides, it isn't as unpleasant to inspect if it isn't icky. It is easier to find places where it is compromised if it isn't patched over with dirt & mud. Dirt, smoke & body fluids are removable.
When gloves or hoods are wet, as they are when they've been in use and aren't properly dried they, like any other fabric, will mold or mildew. Fungus will eat holes in them. PPE will also mold & mildew. Particularly the lining, which also has the vapor barrier & is much of the protection of the gear.
Gloves can be washed with soap. Check the tag first. A scrub brush & some detergent will work, as it will on all your gear. They do tend to get wet anyway (I've never seen a firefighter with dry gloves at a fire) and they are sometimes difficult to dry but again, they keep you safe and it’s worth the effort. If they are compromised in some fashion, you will find that out when you clean them. If they have holes or abrasions and such they need to be replaced.
There certainly are times when your PPE needs professionally cleaned. We use Globe to do that. There aren't any local places qualified to inspect the gear and clean it the way it should be done. We ship it to them; they clean it & make repairs if possible or send it back & let us know that it cannot be repaired so we take it out of service. Pants/coats soaked in gasoline should be rinsed. Enough water will take the petroleum out. But if they are severely exposed they should be cleaned professionally if nothing else to have them checked by a professional. The longer the petroleum is left on them, the more likely it is that they won't be useable after it has soaked in and dried into the material, what ever it is made of.
PPE can be washed. The manufacturer will recommend non-chlorine detergent. I put mine in the washing machine. Some people don't like to do that at home and take it to the Laundromat to use the big machines. You can take the lining out of the shell and wash them separately. That helps them to get clean, not be so heavy when they are wet and dry faster. Air-drying is best but if you are in a hurry, they can be put in the dryer on the low setting. It is noisy. You can also scrub it down & rinse it with a water hose and lay it over something to dry. While you are cleaning it always check it for rips, tears, dropped stitches, lose fasteners etc. and report problems to whom ever is responsible for it. I realize that there may not be extra gear for you to use until yours is repaired/replaced but being out of service is better than being hurt or worse because your gear wasn't in good shape.
Care & maintenance guides come with all new PPE, coats, boots, and helmets. It is a REALLY GOOD IDEA to keep a copy on file for each brand you purchase. If your gear isn't new, contact the manufacturer, or a sales rep or look it up online to get the information.
I recently cleaned my Chief's helmet after a particularly nasty fire. He didn't like the idea but I couldn't tell if the spider webs across it were dirt or if there were cracks in the helmet. I know the dirt & grime are battle scars & everyone is proud of them but they might be masking some serious flaws that could mean your "skid lid" is compromised and isn't going to protect you as well as it is supposed to. In that case, it does need replaced. Helmets can be scrubbed. Most of them have removable liners that can also be cleaned. Face shields can be washed with soap & water.
I took a Lieutenant’s helmet out of service that had been through a flash during search & rescue. The shield was melted, the stickers were bubbled and the crest of the helmet had a crack in it. A big crack. I told the officer he could keep it as a souvenir but he needed a new one before he went into another fire. Some how, for some reason, someone decided to take the tag off. The equipment officer re-issued the helmet to another Lt. ????? New policy - if it is tagged as compromised/unusable, it immediately goes to the Chief & Equipment officer to be taken off the inventory and either goes home to hang on someone's wall OR I personally will take it to the dumpster. I won't "trust" anyone else to make sure it gets done ever again.
PPE isn't disposable. It needs to be cleaned, inspected and taken care of properly. Its the service life of your gear and is as important as possibly being what saves your life.
We tend to go through gloves & hoods. I realize they are easily lost and that does happen. They aren't made to last forever but they are your tools and your protection and they need to be kept serviceable. They can be washed!! There is a tag on them that tells you how to wash them. Why people like to wear them until they are so disgusting with sweat & smoke they are stiff I don't understand. But I tend to preach about keeping your gear clean, not because it looks better but because it also lasts longer. Besides, it isn't as unpleasant to inspect if it isn't icky. It is easier to find places where it is compromised if it isn't patched over with dirt & mud. Dirt, smoke & body fluids are removable.
When gloves or hoods are wet, as they are when they've been in use and aren't properly dried they, like any other fabric, will mold or mildew. Fungus will eat holes in them. PPE will also mold & mildew. Particularly the lining, which also has the vapor barrier & is much of the protection of the gear.
Gloves can be washed with soap. Check the tag first. A scrub brush & some detergent will work, as it will on all your gear. They do tend to get wet anyway (I've never seen a firefighter with dry gloves at a fire) and they are sometimes difficult to dry but again, they keep you safe and it’s worth the effort. If they are compromised in some fashion, you will find that out when you clean them. If they have holes or abrasions and such they need to be replaced.
There certainly are times when your PPE needs professionally cleaned. We use Globe to do that. There aren't any local places qualified to inspect the gear and clean it the way it should be done. We ship it to them; they clean it & make repairs if possible or send it back & let us know that it cannot be repaired so we take it out of service. Pants/coats soaked in gasoline should be rinsed. Enough water will take the petroleum out. But if they are severely exposed they should be cleaned professionally if nothing else to have them checked by a professional. The longer the petroleum is left on them, the more likely it is that they won't be useable after it has soaked in and dried into the material, what ever it is made of.
PPE can be washed. The manufacturer will recommend non-chlorine detergent. I put mine in the washing machine. Some people don't like to do that at home and take it to the Laundromat to use the big machines. You can take the lining out of the shell and wash them separately. That helps them to get clean, not be so heavy when they are wet and dry faster. Air-drying is best but if you are in a hurry, they can be put in the dryer on the low setting. It is noisy. You can also scrub it down & rinse it with a water hose and lay it over something to dry. While you are cleaning it always check it for rips, tears, dropped stitches, lose fasteners etc. and report problems to whom ever is responsible for it. I realize that there may not be extra gear for you to use until yours is repaired/replaced but being out of service is better than being hurt or worse because your gear wasn't in good shape.
Care & maintenance guides come with all new PPE, coats, boots, and helmets. It is a REALLY GOOD IDEA to keep a copy on file for each brand you purchase. If your gear isn't new, contact the manufacturer, or a sales rep or look it up online to get the information.
I recently cleaned my Chief's helmet after a particularly nasty fire. He didn't like the idea but I couldn't tell if the spider webs across it were dirt or if there were cracks in the helmet. I know the dirt & grime are battle scars & everyone is proud of them but they might be masking some serious flaws that could mean your "skid lid" is compromised and isn't going to protect you as well as it is supposed to. In that case, it does need replaced. Helmets can be scrubbed. Most of them have removable liners that can also be cleaned. Face shields can be washed with soap & water.
I took a Lieutenant’s helmet out of service that had been through a flash during search & rescue. The shield was melted, the stickers were bubbled and the crest of the helmet had a crack in it. A big crack. I told the officer he could keep it as a souvenir but he needed a new one before he went into another fire. Some how, for some reason, someone decided to take the tag off. The equipment officer re-issued the helmet to another Lt. ????? New policy - if it is tagged as compromised/unusable, it immediately goes to the Chief & Equipment officer to be taken off the inventory and either goes home to hang on someone's wall OR I personally will take it to the dumpster. I won't "trust" anyone else to make sure it gets done ever again.
PPE isn't disposable. It needs to be cleaned, inspected and taken care of properly. Its the service life of your gear and is as important as possibly being what saves your life.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dustin J. Millis on
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Yeah i have to agree, dirty gear does not look professional. I try and wash my gear as soon as it needs it, pretty much after any fire or a nasty MVA. We run alot of EMS and victims dont really appreciate you walking into their living room with dirty boots and bunker pants on tracking mud and dirt all over their carpet, not to mention the fact that you just look like crap if your covered in dirt and soot from head to toe. I have to be honest and say that I have never washed my helmet. I really like the way it looked after a flashover chamber training and have left it dirty since. I know its not smart but the faceshield didnt take any damage, the tets still look good, and we never wear helmets on EMS calls so I dont see it as a huge problem. Maybe I'll wash it after reading this, eh... on second thought, maybe not LOL
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Permalink Reply by Michael Vito on
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Happy New Year Jenny, thanks for the tips about the PPE care and maintenance.
I have a question, is it true that when drying your PPE, it should not let it dry to the heat of the sun? Some of our members did, but I use a dryer because it is conveniently quick. thanks.
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Permalink Reply by Jonathan on
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In our SOPs we are to remove the lining of our pants and jacket and wash them and our hoods and gloves in the washing machine after every fire (structure vehicle brush etc), and wash the outer part with a water hose and let everything air-dry in the bay. We also clean everything the first of the month when we do our gear-checks so that if your stuff is all sweaty or dirty from training and drills it can be cleaned. We also scrub our gear after hazmat calls. Equipment that is properly taken care of, cleaned, and thoroughly checked for damages lasts longer, and gear that lasts helps ensure that YOU last aswell. My 2 cents.
-Logue TCSS
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haha that would be pretty bad, but no its done in a similar fashion cleaning equiptment and other tools...one at a time. our washer and dryer are the size of whats in most of our homes. and we only have one of each, which can usually only fit the inner lining of a jacket, pants, nomex hood, and gloves. Now if there was an emergency we could easily grab someone elses gear or run to the equipment storage room and grab some old gear. But like I said, only one person does theirs at a time. It's usually 1 person does when they first arrive on shift(0700), another around lunch(1200), another does around dinner time (1700), and another does before going to bed(2200). This is the schedule for the once a month cleaning. Cleaning your gear after a fire-related call you do before going off shift, and the shift on duty after you will put your gear out to dry so that when you come back to work its ready to go again.
-Logue
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Permalink Reply by Oldman on
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Jenny,
One should keep their gear clean, and while much of your post is dead on, there are some issues. Most gear manufactures do not recommend using your household type washing machine for cleaning gear. The agitator of the machine breaks down the fiber of the gear. The spin cycle of the machines can also be too fast and cause damage to the liners. Washing it at home also exposes family members to harmful contaminates which may be on the gear.
NFPA 1851 is the standard to follow for gear cleaning and inspection. Use of the proper machine and detergents are essential in maintaining this rather costly investment. Our department purchased the same style "extractor" machine which Globe and Lion Apparel use. We also use the same chemicals they do. We log each time the gear is cleaned, and once a year, it goes for the complete inspection.
You are right though, properly cared for gear may be the one thing that enables you to go home at the end of the shift. Good post.
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Permalink Reply by Chief 29 on
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I am a firm believer in clean gear and it shows. I on the same hand own my own gear and when it's yours you are more likely to take care of it. If all members were made to purchase one set at the beginning of their career I am sure it would make a difference when they would get a set issued to them. I know that it is not practical to do that but I am sure it would help.
We are in the process of updating our Sop's within the next couple of months and this is one of the topics being visited due to the PPV not lasting due to neglect.
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Thanks Caleb
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Permalink Reply by Jenny Holderby on
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Yeah I thought of that too and discussed it with the owner. His said that they clean each washer after every use and I've stood there digging laundry out of the machine quickly because the attendant was standing there waiting for me to finish to clean it. As for exposing anyone to the crud, when the gear comes out the chlorine bleach goes in and it goes through a full cycle with hot water, empty. Bleach is recommended for disinfecting most pathogens & is used in hospitals & cafeterias still as their main disinfecting agent. I like bleach. I just can't use it on my gear. We don't have any means of cleaning gear at the station when it is cold outside. THAT is on MY top priority list.
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I forget that everyone doesn't live in a small town. There are very likely public laundromats that don't have attendants anymore in bigger places. Same people have owned the ones around here for years.
No we actually don't have extra gear anymore. We had some issues with a LOT of equipment missing from our inventory in the last year. Lately we've had to swap gear around with people out on leave or not able to respond. We try to get it done quickly so we don't have guys down for lack of gear. I think that might be part of the issue with the gear being so nasty but I since we also have several new firefighters and officers, I think some of the basics got lost in the shuffle somewhere. I've had to remind them lately about care & maintenance of SCBA. Nothing makes me madder than to pick up an air pack with a dirty lens & short straps. I feel that my job as Safety Officer is to make sure that they do learn how to take care of their PPE.
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Permalink Reply by Tony P on
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Nice post Jenny. Right down my street as I too hate dirty gear. I see no value at all in leaving things dirty. Helmet gets dirty? Wash it. A dirty helmet doesn't mean the wearer is tough or hard working or experienced; it's just a piece of dirty equipment. And dirty equipment hides flaws.
We're about to be issued with up-to-date PPE. We're being issued with two sets each (those of us that do the required level of calls) and all sets will be sent to a specific commercial cleaner whenever needed (and at least once per year) where they will also be checked and repaired if needed. (We have around 500 career FF's and quite a few thousand Vols getting this PPE, it'll be interesting to see how the cleaners handle the load...)
One question Jenny. How do so many people lose or 'misplace' their gloves and hoods? I can't see it, the occasional loss, yes, but to say that they are easily lost? Not if the people show the slightest bit of concern in the gear that helps to keep them safe!
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As Caleb said, UV rays damage the gear. Using a regular dryer does the same thing. The heat from the dryer coupled with the tumbling damages the fiber. It also does serious damage to the liner by causing "holes" in the vapor barrier, where the material clumps in areas leaving void spaces. Hang your gear in the bay and use a fan to circulate air (no heat) around it.
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