Speed is as important as a hose for the fire service. Yet, in the respiratory protective equipment workshop, cleaning the used kit can be a lengthy process. This is especially the case when kit is cleaned by hand and dwell times must be obeyed or if a machine is used but it has to run for hours and the components of the PPE, such as regulators, still have to be cleaned by hand. This happens when the machine simply has no provision for such a complex item of respiratory protective equipment.
Knut Grossmann is respiratory protective equipment technician at Halle (Saale) professional fire service. He now spends a lot less time on maintenance when he cleans the 574 masks used by his colleagues. ‘Finally being able to work more quickly was one of the main motivating factors in our purchasing a MEIKO TopClean M cleaning and disinfection machine for respiratory protective equipment. The versatility of the machine was also part of it, though. Now we can clean BA masks and regulators in a machine,’ says Mr Grossmann. His colleague, Robert Schwarzkopf, keenly backs him up. He is Group Head of Technology at Halle (Saale) fire service and heard about MEIKO developing the new cleaning and disinfection machine for respiratory protective equipment from a colleague. Then he saw it firsthand at the ‘Florian’ trade show and was sold.
‘We have been using it to clean out respiratory protective equipment since 2018 and we are very happy with it. Previously, masks, regulators and frames had to be cleaned by hand but that is just not necessary anymore. This way, we save time and the results are impressive.’
Instead of disassembling the equipment, the respiratory protective equipment technician at Halle (Saale) fire station simply has to grab some blind plugs, seal the SCBA harnesses and cleaning can begin. MEIKO's technological solution also fits in with the raised awareness of assignment hygiene at Halle (Saale) fire service, ‘We even ordered a wheeled container for respiratory protective equipment that we use to collect contaminated SCBA, BA masks and PPE at the site of the assignment. We then maintain that separation of clean and dirty here in our respiratory protective equipment workshop,’ explains Robert Schwarzkopf, going on to say, ‘firefighters are becoming more aware of the health risks they face, thank God.’
]]>The NFPA standard requires all gloves to pass an Overall Liquid Integrity Test after the gloves have been exposed to a convective heat preconditioning temperature of 350F for ten minutes. Interestingly, the same NFPA standard requires all turnout materials (including the barrier) and all other glove materials (not the barrier) to pass a heat and thermal shrinkage test conducted at 500F for a period of 5 minutes. These two tests demonstrate that the polyurethane barriers break down somewhere between the temperatures of 350F and 500F and will not hold back water, chemicals or blood from penetration and also breakdown the overall thermal protection of the 3 component layup.
If the glove is a low price point, it likely contains a polyurethane barrier.
Shelby tested polyurethane barrier inserts and noticed they all failed between 302F and 374F. Only the PTFE barriers will pass the test with the higher level of preconditioning. On glove testing, the complete (whole) gloves are tested and the barrier is being insulated from the heat and on turnout testing the individual layers are tested alone. Since the barrier is a hidden component and cannot be inspected in the field, Shelby only uses PTFE barriers in all gloves. This offers the fire fighter the best level of protection before and after heat exposures. Shelby also performs a 100% leak testing as a quality check on every glove thermal liner barrier system that it manufactures.
Think about your bunkergear, have you ever seen a polyurethane barriers? This is because of durability issues. And why Shelby only offers PTFE barriers while other suppliers offer a lower performing polyurethane barrier.
]]>Particulate blocking is the next priority for firefighters’ Personal Protective Equipment. Safedesign offers several options to help keep particulates away from your skin, including the newest offering from PGI – The makers of the first Flash Hood.
PGI Cobra™ BarriAire™ Gold Hoods lead the way in particulate barrier hood protection. Coverage where you want it with fit options that allow you to maximize your personal mask-up capabilities. Whether you prefer in‑channel or over the mask, standard or extended bib, or additional DuPont™ Nomex® Nano particulate blocking power, BarriAire Gold Hoods are the fitting response to the hazards you face.
For more info on our particulate blocking options please give us a call at 416-2553-9122.
The skin is an organ that breathes, sweats and absorbs. It also burns under high temperatures. When heat and toxic chemicals are present, the skin should be appropriately covered. This is where a particulate barrier hood is absolutely necessary on your firefighters.
Traditional hoods were developed to protect mainly from flashover – a spontaneous ignition of combustible gasses. The new generation of hoods now offer a barrier to block contaminants from reaching the skin’s surface. Because the hood covers the neck, head and ears of the firefighter, the construction of this specialty garment should be flexible to allow for range of motion and made of a material that doesn’t interfere with the firefighters ability to hear.
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