Professional decontamination of SCBAs, helmets, face masks, boots, gloves, and tools.
Studies show that firefighters run a significantly higher risk of being diagnosed with, and dying from, various forms of cancer than the general population. This is due to the hazardous chemicals and carcinogenic particles they are exposed to in the line of duty. To reduce this exposure and the resulting cancer risk, it is essential to thoroughly, safely and efficiently clean and decontaminate all protective equipment after every use. That is exactly what the Solo Rescue® Decon Washer does. Cleaning gear in the Solo Rescue means less exposure to cancer causing PAH particles and a safer work environment for you and your fellow firefighters.
The generously-sized wash tank of the Solo Rescue is a vital part of its strength. Together with an innovative rotating basket system, this provides a design that optimizes the water flow to reach even the most inaccessible parts of your equipment without compromising its function and quality. So whether you are washing SCBAs, face masks, boots, gloves, helmets, or tools, the Solo Rescue will do an excellent job reducing and extracting dangerous soot particles, chemicals, and detergent residue from your equipment.
While handling fire protective gear it is important to reduce the time of exposure to hazardous toxins and carcinogens. Establishing procedures to handle contaminated gear in a controlled and safe way is one way of minimizing this risk.
With the Solo Rescue the entire cleaning process is carried out inside the machine, ensuring minimum exposure for the staff. It has a lower door that folds out, acting as a loading table when opened. This ergonomic process minimizes manual contact with contaminated materials. Simply put the contaminated equipment in the machine, close the hatch and start the cleaning program.
The spacious design of the Solo Rescue allows you to wash either 2 complete SCBAs, 6 stand-alone air cylinders, 8 face masks, 3 helmets, 3 pairs of boots, or 8 pairs of gloves per wash cycle. On top of that, you can wash small parts, such as regulators and pressure connectors. All of this is possible thanks to the clever design of the Solo Rescue basket system. The backbone of the system is the heavy-duty basket, which is used at all times. This basket can then be paired with several different accessories, giving you a versatile machine that fits many different needs. Accessories include holders for SCBAs, face masks, boots, gloves, helmets, and small parts (e.g., regulators, pressure connectors, etc.).
The Solo Rescue offers an easy, quick, and safe way to clean your contaminated PPE. The easy-to-use control panel lets you choose between a 3-minute cycle for gloves and boots or an 8-minute cycle for SCBAs, face masks, and helmets. It can clean up to 14 SCBAs (including face masks), 42 stand-alone air cylinders, 56 facepieces, 21 helmets, 60 pairs of boots, and 120 pairs of gloves per hour.
We were thoroughly impressed by the machine’s ease of operation, efficiency and performance. The number of contaminants that were removed from the SCBAs that had previously been cleaned by hand was astonishing. Gary Robertson, Captain at Kananaskis Emergency Services in Alberta, Canada.
Cancer – the Number One Cause of Death Among Firefighters
According to numerous studies cancer is the number one cause of death among firefighters. In North America cancer caused 61% of the career firefighter line-of-duty deaths from January 1, 2002, to March 31, 2017. Firefighters also run a 9% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14% higher risk of dying from cancer than the general population.
How to clean your PPE equipment
In order to minimize the risk for firefighters of being diagnosed with cancer we need to minimize their exposure to cancer causing toxic chemicals such as PAH particles. One way of doing that is trough thorough cleaning and decontamination of the PPE equipment. There are a few things to always bare in mind while doing so.
