The way we think about firefighter health and safety is changing rapidly and so is the way we think about cleaning turnout gear and equipment. Recent changes to NFPA 1851 standards and guidelines have led departments across the country to rethink their gear cleaning strategy. As more and more departments search for the perfect gear cleaning process, we thought we would highlight 4 major benefits to having an NFPA 1851 verified partner that has a mobile solution.
RedLine provides onsite gear cleaning to departments across the country. Using a self-contained Mobile Extraction Unit®, RedLine is capable of providing advanced cleaning to more than 40 sets of gear in just one day.
Let’s talk about why more and more departments are turning to RedLine for complete decontamination of all turnout gear and equipment.
1. Convenience
What is more convenient than needing to do nothing? We pride ourselves on being the most convenient firefighter gear cleaning service in the world. RedLine provides a white-glove service to all of our customers. We start by taking a full inventory of all the gear and end by folding and packaging all the clean gear in turnout bags that are placed inside each firefighters locker.
Our mobile gear cleaning business model means that you don’t need to package and ship gear out of your station, we come directly to you and set up our Mobile Extraction Unit (MEU) that acts as a self contained cleaning apparatus equipped with gear extractors, drying cabinets, ultrasonic cleaning technology, and inspection equipment.
Departments with in house gear extractors no longer need to rely on individual firefighters to properly decontaminate their gear and can completely outsource this responsibility to RedLine. Our trained staff also works directly with departments to educate them on how to properly use their gear extractors and help build a comprehensive cleaning process that can be done throughout the year after each major fire.
2. Speed
As firefighters, we know every second counts. This is why we set out to create the fastest gear cleaning process in the country. Historically, departments that wanted an Advanced gear cleaning needed to send the gear away to be ‘professionally’ cleaned at a commercial laundromat owned by the manufacturer or a third party verified cleaner. This process can take weeks to complete and leaves many firefighters without their primary set of gear.
Even departments with inhouse gear extractors can take days or weeks to completely clean all their gear. This is because a single extractor and dryer doesn’t have the capacity of cleaning dozens of sets in a single day.
RedLine solved this problem by creating a service that takes place 100% at the fire station and all within a self contained cleaning apparatus dubbed the Mobile Extraction Unit (MEU). The MEU allows RedLine to arrive onsite and instantly begin cleaning gear. On a typical day RedLine can clean over 40 sets of turnout gear and this includes gloves, boots, helmets.
3. Trust
RedLine is a firefighter owned and operated business, our company was started by a career firefighter out of pure frustration. Frustration that stemmed from seeing his fellow firefighters fall to cancer and seeing how difficult it was to get his gear properly cleaned. After seeing firsthand the pitfalls of having to send gear away to be cleaned or putting the responsibility of cleaning on the individual firefighter, the RedLine business model was born.
Because RedLine is operated by active and retired firefighters, we know how to properly handle and treat bunker gear, we know how to take it apart and put it back together, and we know how important a helmet is, or pair of gloves are to someone. It is this mentality that has allowed us to grow and build new relationships with departments across the country.
4. Compliance
Staying compliant has always been of great importance to fire departments across the country and with recent changes to NFPA 1851, Fire Chiefs need to make sure their turnout gear cleaning program is also compliant.
NFPA 1851 recommends all fire departments receive an Advanced Cleaning performed by a verified cleaning company once every six months. This ensures that firefighters across the country are having their gear cleaned to the same standard at least twice a year. There are a number of verified cleaning companies across the country but RedLine is the only company that provides onsite Advanced Cleanings.
To learn more about our onsite bunker gear cleaning, call us at (508) 525-5825 or fill out the form here.