ETD Blog & News
Filter Categories
All
Blog
News
Sort By Date
-
Firefighter Turnout Gear Cost: Sticker Price vs. 10 Year CostMay 13, 2026Firefighter Turnout Gear Cost: Sticker Price vs. 10 Year CostBlogBy: Emergency Technical Decon Firefighter turnout gear cost is about far more than the upfront purchase price. Between NFPA compliance requirements,... -
Lithium-Ion Battery Fires: The Evolving Risk Facing Today’s FirefightersApril 29, 2026Lithium-Ion Battery Fires: The Evolving Risk Facing Today’s FirefightersBlogBy: Emergency Technical Decon As electric vehicles become more common, lithium-ion battery fires are no longer rare incidents - they are...
-
Data Shows Continued Toxic Risks in Today’s FiregroundApril 22, 2026Data Shows Continued Toxic Risks in Today’s FiregroundUncategorizedBy: Emergency Technical Decon For decades, firefighter cancer risk has been closely tied to fireground exposure. Structure fires, vehicle fires, and...
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco.
Firefighter Turnout Gear Cost: Sticker Price vs. 10 Year Cost
By: Emergency Technical Decon Firefighter turnout gear cost is about far more than the upfront purchase price. Between NFPA compliance requirements, inspections, repairs, decontamination, and replacement schedules, the true cost of ownership can impact department budgets for years. Modern turnout gear is engineered to protect firefighters from extreme heat, carcinogen exposure, hazardous particulates, and dangerous environments. That protection comes with...
Lithium-Ion Battery Fires: The Evolving Risk Facing Today’s Firefighters
By: Emergency Technical Decon As electric vehicles become more common, lithium-ion battery fires are no longer rare incidents – they are a growing part of the modern fireground. These fires are not simply a new version of a familiar challenge. They introduce a different level of complexity, a different burn profile, and a significantly different exposure risk for firefighters. Emerging...
Managing Stress and Trauma in the Fire Service
By: Emergency Technical Decon April is National Stress Awareness Month, a time to recognize the impact stress has on overall health. For most people, exposure to traumatic events is limited to a handful of experiences over a lifetime. For firefighters, it is part of the job. From structure fires and vehicle extrications to medical calls and loss of life, firefighters...
Liquid CO2 vs. Liquid CO2+: What’s the Difference?
By: ETD Team For departments exploring advanced decontamination alternatives to water washing, liquid CO2 cleaning is often the first technology that surfaces. It is solvent-based, water-free, and capable of penetrating turnout gear more effectively than traditional extraction methods. But not all CO2 systems are created equal. There is a measurable difference between standard liquid CO2 cleaning and Liquid CO2+ technology...
The Hidden Cost of Water Washing Turnout Gear
By: ETD Team For decades, water-based washing has been the standard method for cleaning firefighter turnout gear. It is familiar, accessible, and widely accepted. But as more research emerges around PFAS, PAHs, heavy metals, and other carcinogenic contaminants embedded in PPE, the limitations – and risks – of traditional water washing are becoming impossible to ignore. The reality is clear:...
The Hidden Danger at Home: Lithium-Ion Battery Safety Tips for Families
By: ETD Team From smartphones and tablets to e-bikes, power tools, and children’s toys, lithium-ion batteries have become an essential part of daily life. With their growing presence in homes comes an often-overlooked danger: fire risk. When overheated, overcharged, damaged, or improperly stored, lithium-ion batteries can fail catastrophically, sometimes with explosive consequences. At Emergency Technical Decon (ETD), we’ve seen firsthand...
What Fire Departments Need to Know About Turnout Gear Repairs: Q&A with ETD’s Sewing & Repair Team
By: ETD Sewing & Repair Team At Emergency Technical Decon, repairing firefighter turnout gear isn’t just about sewing; it’s about safety. Our in-house team of technicians is trained to uphold the highest standards of NFPA 1851 compliance, making sure every repaired item is field-ready, reliable, and safe to wear. Here’s what departments often ask about gear repairs, and how our...
Recognizing National Burn Awareness Week
By: ETD Team Each February, the second week marks National Burn Awareness Week, a time to raise awareness around one of the most painful and life-altering injuries anyone can face. For the fire service, this week is also a powerful reminder: burns don’t just happen on the fireground—they can happen during overhaul, in the station, or even through contaminated gear...
American Heart Month: Protecting the Heart of the Fire Service
By: ETD Team February marks American Heart Month: a time to raise awareness about cardiovascular health, especially among those at increased risk. For firefighters, that risk is alarmingly high. Cardiovascular events remain the leading cause of on-duty deaths in the fire service, accounting for nearly 45% of all firefighter fatalities in the U.S. Factors like intense physical exertion, extreme heat...
Routine Decon Best Practices
Fireground contaminants do not stay on the fireground. Soot, VOCs, PFAS and other toxins travel with firefighters long after the call is over, settling into gear, truck cabs, seats, tools, personal vehicles and common areas inside the station. Over time, this creates continuous exposure risks for crews, families and community spaces. Routine decontamination is no longer limited to turnout coats...
