firefighter turnout gear waits for liquid CO2 cleaning

PFAS in Firefighter Gear: Advancing Safe and Effective Cleaning Solutions

By: Emergency Technical Decon Team The presence of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in firefighter protective gear has raised significant concerns in recent years. A recent report from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) highlighted the alarming prevalence of PFAS in gloves, hoods, and wildland firefighting gear. These chemicals, used to enhance durability and water resistance, have been …

Emergency Technical Decon’s Best Decontamination Practices

By: Emergency Technical Decon Team Firefighters risk their lives to protect others, but their gear often comes back from the field carrying harmful substances that pose long-term health risks. Contaminants like carcinogens, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can embed themselves in turnout gear, putting firefighters at heightened risk for cancer and other health issues. Traditional …

Emergency Technical Decon Logo

NEWS: The V Foundation, Emergency Technical Decon, and Emergent Launch “Turnout for Firefighters Cancer Research Fund”

[Cary, NC] – The V Foundation for Cancer Research, in partnership with Emergency Technical Decon (ETD) and Emergent, proudly announce the official launch of the Turnout for Firefighters Cancer Research Fund on January 22, 2025, coinciding with Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month. This initiative is dedicated to addressing the increased cancer risk firefighters face due to carcinogen exposure in the line of …

Toxic Runoff: Washing Turnout Gear And City Water Safety

By: Emergency Technical Decon Team When firefighters return from an incident, their turnout gear is often saturated with harmful chemicals, toxins, and carcinogens picked up while combating fires. Washing turnout gear is critical for firefighters’ safety and health, but it raises an important question: where do those contaminants go? When contaminated water from washing turnout gear enters municipal sewer systems, …

Why Liquid CO2 Cleaning is Better for the Environment

By: Emergency Technical Decon Team As industries worldwide work toward sustainability, businesses are reevaluating their processes to reduce environmental impact. For sectors that rely on cleaning specialized equipment—like firefighter turnout gear, industrial machinery, or sensitive electronics—the method of Liquid CO2 cleaning is an innovative, eco-friendly approach that not only meets high-performance standards but also minimizes harm to the environment. The …

firefighters spray firefighting foam to extinguish a fire

PFAS Firefighting Foam: An In-Depth Guide

By: Emergency Technical Decon Team PFAS firefighting foam is a danger to both firefighters and the environment. Recently, this topic has grown in relevance as legislative considerations surrounding PFAS, including potential bans on its use, are becoming more significant. In this blog, we’ll look into the background of PFAS, explore the dangers they pose along with associated research findings, discuss …

ETD Partners With Ten-8 Fire & Safety, Welcoming New ISP Provider in Florida and Georgia Region

PRESS RELEASE • FEB 21, 2024 EAGAN, Minn., February 21, 2024 (Newswire.com) – Emergency Technical Decon (ETD), a state-of-the-art cleaning solution provider tackling the high firefighter occupational cancer rates, today announced Ten-8 Fire & Safety, a leading United States distributor of fire and emergency apparatus and equipment, as a new Independent Service Provider (ISP) utilizing ETD’s liquid CO2 technologies. The announcement, following Fire Fighter Cancer …

Dirty and fire contaminated firefighter turnout jackets hung in a row.

Can You Machine Wash Turnout Gear?

By: Emergency Technical Decon Team As firefighters and fire chiefs, ensuring the cleanliness of turnout gear is of paramount importance. Not only does clean gear enhance safety and performance, but it also plays a crucial role in mitigating the risks associated with carcinogens and toxins present in firefighting environments. If you’re here, you may be wondering if you can machine …

Firefighters lined up in turnout gear.

NFPA 1851: What It Is And Why It Matters

By: Mike Duyck, President Throughout my career, I found that professionals across the fire service share a few common goals. Unmoved at the very top of the list remains the health and safety of their people – the biggest asset to each organization. Come the end of each shift, our focus is that everyone returns safely home. The safety factors …