PUGET SOUND FIRE ANNOUNCES NEW INITIATIVE TO PROTECT FIREFIGHTERS FROM LASTING HEALTH RISKS

AUTHORITY PARTNERS WITH LION SAFETY SOLUTIONS TO COMBAT UNSEEN AND POTENTIALLY DIRE THREATS FROM FIGHTING FIRES

In a new initiative to protect the safety and health of the region’s 400 firefighters, the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority and LION Safety Solutions (LSS) announced on Wednesday an investment in revolutionary new technology to combat one of the most subtle but hazardous threats associated with battling blazes. 

While fire is synonymous with danger, some of its more pernicious impacts can plague first responders long after the flames are extinguished. In fact, the materials that burn in common structural fires can unleash toxic chemical compounds — including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) — that collect on firefighting gear, such as coats, hoods, gloves and other equipment collectively known as Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). If that toxic residue isn’t effectively cleaned from PPE, it can lead to serious health complications for the firefighters the community entrusts with public safety.

To maximize its defenses against this potentially debilitating health risk, Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority and LSS have agreed to treat all PPE with a pioneering new waterless cleaning technology that uses liquid carbon dioxide (LCO₂) to eliminate 98 percent of carcinogenic PAH and VOC contaminants. Known as RedZone CO₂ Clean and developed in collaboration with Tersus Solutions, the technology will be installed at a new facility in Seattle where LSS cleans, inspects, and repairs PPE as part of its LION TotalCare maintenance service.

"The health of our firefighters is instrumental to the safety of the public,” said Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority Battalion Chief Josh Kelch. "We depend on first responders to keep our families secure and our public infrastructure intact, so we owe it to ourselves to invest the stewardship of our crucial firefighting force. Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority considers this one of our most solemn obligations to the women and men who risk their lives to keep our communities safe and that’s why we have been a long-time supporter of LION. Our firefighters currently wear LION turnout gear; it only made sense that we have our gear maintained by LION TotalCare."

Exposure to the toxic chemical compounds that can be shed during fires has been linked to serious illness, including cancer, making investment in top-quality PPE care a crucial part of fire safety.

"Everyone knows that fire can kill, but not everyone knows that it can continue to cause dire harm long after my brothers and sisters on the force put out the flames,” said ​Keven Rojecki, President, Puget Sound Firefighters, IAFF Local 1747. “But I can assure you that every firefighter is intimately aware of this risk. We’ve read and mourned over stories of colleagues contracting illnesses linked to the materials that burn at fires. We know these after-effects of fire can leave a long, difficult legacy not only for firefighters, but for the generations of family and friends associated with them. And so we’ve learned that the techniques we employ to clean our gear is absolutely pivotal to our job safety, and that’s why I’m so pleased to see this investment in cutting-edge technology like RedZone CO₂ Clean. We’re grateful to Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority and LION Safety Solutions for standing with us and demonstrating a commitment to our health, our families, and our future.”  

For LSS, a business unit of Ohio-based LION Group Inc., the investment in a new facility in the Seattle area marks the newest frontier for its LION TotalCare maintenance operation, which provides cleaning, inspection and repair services to fire departments around the country.

“We are thrilled to develop this partnership with Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority as they lead the industry by investing in the latest innovations available to the fire service,” said Mark Smith, CEO of LION Safety Solutions. “By partnering with us to convert our LION TotalCare PPE care and maintenance facility to incorporate our RedZone CO₂ cleaning technology, they are sending a strong message to their personnel and the fire service that the health and safety of their members is the number one priority.”