helmet, balaclava and gloves. Once the gloves have been doffed, the firefighter uses hand sanitizer to clean his or her hands, then dons nitrile gloves and uses sanitary wipes to wipe down the face and neck. The firefighter dons an N95 mask and safety glasses and removes the rest of the PPE and bunker gear, which is placed directly into a gear bag for contaminated bunker gear, and sealed. The firefighter(s) performing the on-scene decontamination then decontaminate SCBAs and any other equipment that is identified by officers as being contaminated. While this type of cleaning is usually done at the station, completing it on scene leaves most of the contamination there rather than exposing firefighters further while returning it to the station. The contaminated bunker gear and PPE, and any other contaminated equipment, is all transported back to the station in an apparatus compartment so as to not further expose firefighters in the cab to contaminants. If a firefighter requires clothing to return to the station after the bunker gear has been bagged, disposable coveralls with boots are available in the decontamination kits. If firefighters are called out while returning to the station, the apparatus will stop and the firefighters will don their bunker gear. While not completely cleaned, the gear has undergone an extensive gross decontamination. If the call does not require bunker gear, firefighters can wear Nomex coveralls if appropriate and in accordance with standard operating guidelines. While the on-scene decontamination procedures are the most extensive and the biggest change for our department, they have had arguably the most positive impact, as the majority of the visible contamination is left at the scene. To wash the bunker gear and personal protective equipment, we developed in-station decontamination and cleaning procedures. These procedures ensure firefighters who are properly equipped with personal protective equipment (gowns, gloves, protective eyewear, and masks) remove contaminated bunker gear from the apparatus, keep it sealed until it is in a designated cleaning area, and then wash it in bunker-gear washing machines. Our procedures contain specific instructions for safely and properly washing bunker gear and other PPE. To support this initiative, the municipality provided funding to increase the number of bunkergear washing machines and is purchasing forced-air gear dryers to reduce the amount of time the bunker gear is out of service. While the bunker gear is out of service for cleaning, firefighters who are called out may use bunker gear from a pool of spares, or use coveralls and respond in a support role (in accordance with standard operating guidelines).
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