We hear it all the time: “We already have extractors. Why should we pay someone else to clean our gear?”
It’s a fair question. Your department spent good money on those machines—and honestly? We’re glad you did!
Having in-house extractors means your department is taking firefighter health seriously. That’s exactly what we want to see.
But here’s the thing: having extractors for routine cleaning and being able to handle NFPA 1851 advanced cleaning for your entire department are two different challenges.
And that’s where a lot of departments find themselves caught in a bind.
As a firefighter myself, I lived this reality. In-house extractors are great for post-incident cleaning when you need a few sets done quickly. But when it came time for our annual advanced cleaning? That’s when things got complicated…
Let’s talk about what comprehensive gear cleaning really requires—and why your in-house and our RedLine services work better together, not as replacements for each other.
In-House Extractors: The Right Tool for the Right Job
First, let’s be clear: in-house extractors are valuable. NFPA 1851 requires gear to be cleaned after every exposure to fire. When your crew comes back from a working fire and needs 3-5 sets cleaned quickly, your in-house extractors are perfect for that.
This is routine cleaning. It’s essential. And having the ability to do it on-site means you’re keeping contaminated gear from sitting around and putting your crews at risk.
So keep using those extractors. Seriously. We’re not here to replace your day-to-day cleaning operations.
What we’re talking about is the other requirement, advanced cleaning. The comprehensive, NFPA 1851 compliant cleaning that needs to happen annually (or more frequently for high-use departments). That’s where the real challenge begins.
When In-House Gets Complicated
Here’s where most departments run into problems with annual advanced cleaning:
The Volume Problem
Your extractors can handle a few sets of gear at a time. Great for post-incident cleaning.
But what happens when you need to clean 40 or 100+ sets of gear for your annual requirement?
The math gets rough. Even if you run loads non-stop, you’re looking at days or weeks to get through everyone’s gear. And during that time, firefighters need something to wear—which means juggling spare sets, rental gear, or having crews in expired backups.
The Time Investment
Someone has to run all those loads. Pre-treat the gear. Move it from washers to dryers. Monitor the process. That’s hours and hours of time that adds up quickly.
And let’s be honest—after a shift, nobody wants to spend their time doing laundry. It ends up falling on the same few people who care about gear maintenance, and it pulls them away from training, apparatus checks, and actually being ready to respond.
The Complete Ensemble Challenge
Most in-house setups are great for jackets and pants. But what about:
- Boots – They don’t fit in standard extractors or require special care to avoid damage
- Helmets – Need specialized cleaning equipment most stations don’t have
- Gloves – Often get a quick rinse, not the deep cleaning they need
- Hoods – May or may not get the attention needed to remove carcinogens
These items are exposed to the same contaminants as your turnout gear. If they’re not getting properly cleaned during your annual advanced cleaning, you’re only solving part of the problem.
The Verification Gap
Here’s the big one: NFPA 1851 requires third-party verification for advanced cleaning.
That means an independent organization like UL or Intertek has verified your process, equipment, detergents, water temperature—everything.
Most in-house operations aren’t verified as an ISP. That doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong, but it does mean you can’t technically claim NFPA 1851 compliance for advanced cleaning. And that matters for liability, grant funding, and—most importantly—ensuring contaminants are actually being removed.
The Inspection Component
Advanced cleaning includes a thorough inspection of every piece of gear. Are seams intact? Is reflective trim compromised? Are there tears or damage that could affect protection?
When firefighters clean their own gear in-house, these inspections often get missed or aren’t documented properly. Without that inspection and documentation, you’re not meeting the full standard.
A Smarter Approach: Using Both
Here’s what we’ve learned works best for departments:
Use your in-house extractors for routine, post-incident cleaning. This is what they’re perfect for. Quick turnaround, convenient, keeps contaminated gear from sitting around.
Use RedLine for annual advanced cleaning, rapid response needs or large quantity cleanings. This is when you need the full treatment—complete ensemble cleaning, verified processes, thorough inspections, proper documentation, and the capacity to handle your entire department efficiently.
Think of it like your apparatus maintenance. You do routine checks and minor maintenance in-house. But for annual pump testing, ladder certifications, and major service? You bring in specialists with the right equipment and certifications.
Same concept with gear.
What RedLine Brings to the Partnership
When we show up with our Mobile Extraction Unit®, we’re not replacing your in-house capability. We’re complementing it by handling the heavy lifting that’s difficult to do in-house:
Expert Consulting – RedLine has helped hundreds of departments across the country better utilize their own gear cleaning equipment. Let us teach you how to properly clean and maintain your gear with the equipment you have. We’ll work with you to build a plan for both routine and advanced maintenance.
Compliance Reporting – We provide full accountability to your department with our in-depth reporting. All your departments data for cleaning, inspections & repairs in one place for your records.
Speed and Capacity – We clean 40+ sets of complete ensembles in a single day. Everything is cleaned, inspected, dried, and back in service within hours—not days.
Complete Ensemble – Boots, helmets, gloves, hoods, jackets, pants, liners. Everything gets the same level of attention—do other ISP’s do this? We don’t think so…
Verified Compliance – RedLine is verified by UL. When we clean your gear, you have documented proof of NFPA 1851 compliance.
Professional Inspection – Every piece of gear goes through a 25-point inspection by trained technicians. You get a complete report of findings, and we can coordinate repairs on-site with our Mobile Repair Unit—making us the only on-site ISP to provide cleaning, inspections AND repairs.
No Downtime – Because we work on-site and turn gear around the same day, there’s no need for rental gear or crews wearing expired backups while waiting for their primary gear.
No Time Drain on Your Crews – Your firefighters can focus on training, community engagement, and being ready to respond instead of spending days running washing machines.
The Bottom Line
We’re not asking you to choose between in-house extractors and our services. Use both. They serve different purposes, and together they create a comprehensive gear maintenance program that keeps your firefighters safe.
Keep your extractors for routine cleaning after fires. That’s what they’re there for, and that’s what they do well.
Bring in RedLine for annual advanced cleaning. Let us handle the comprehensive, verified, complete-ensemble cleaning that’s challenging to do in-house.
Because at the end of the day, this isn’t about who cleans the gear. It’s about making sure it gets cleaned right, consistently, and in compliance with standards that were written to save firefighters’ lives.
Ready to see how RedLine complements your existing gear maintenance program?
Contact your local RedLine operator to schedule an on-site cleaning. We’ll show you exactly how we can partner with your department to provide comprehensive, NFPA 1851 compliant care for your gear.