Easy decon of SCBA, helmets, facepiece, boots, gloves & tools.
Studies show that firefighters run a significantly higher risk of being diagnosed with, and dying from, various forms of cancer than the general population. This is due to the hazardous chemicals and carcinogenic particles they are exposed to in the line of duty. To reduce this exposure and the resulting cancer risk, it is essential to thoroughly, safely and efficiently clean and decontaminate all protective equipment after every use. That is exactly what the Solo Rescue® Decon Washer does. Cleaning gear in the Solo Rescue means less exposure to cancer causing PAH particles and a safer work environment for you and your fellow firefighters.
The unique Solo Rescue® system features a rotating basket that enables the water jets to reach and decontaminate even tight and sometimes hard to reach spaces, such as between the back plate and the cylinders.
The Solo Rescue Decon Washer was developed in close cooperation with the Swedish Rescue Services and the organization Healthy Firefighters to meet the needs for cleaning contaminated equipment in the best way possible. The goal was to develop a healthier way to decontaminate SCBA and other protective gear from hazardous toxins and carcinogens, mainly PAH particles. The unique Solo Rescue system features a rotating basket that enables the water jets to reach even the most inaccessible parts of your equipment. To maximize the results, we recommend using ProBlend SCBA detergent*, specially developed together with Solo Rescue for the sole purpose of maximizing the results of cleaning contaminated SCBA equipment.
*Dosing equipment for detergent is sold separately and can be ordered with your machine purchase or directly from your local ProBlend distributor.
When you are fighting a fire your protective gear, including SCBA, helmet, facepiece, boots and gloves, will become contaminated with soot particles and combusting gases. Some of these particles are cancer-causing chemicals that pose a real threat to your health. Decontaminating the protective gear immediately upon return to the station is therefore of outmost importance. Cleaning the equipment by hand though, can be both time consuming and hard work and poses a health risk due to unprotected exposure to the carcinogens. With the Solo Rescue you will minimize your exposure and let the machine do the job for you in just a few minutes.
While handling fire protective gear it is important to reduce the time of exposure to hazardous toxins and carcinogens. Establishing procedures to handle contaminated gear in a controlled and safe way is one way of minimizing this risk.
With the Solo Rescue the entire cleaning process is carried out inside the machine, ensuring minimum exposure for the staff. It has a lower door that folds out, acting as a loading table when opened. This ergonomic process minimizes manual contact with contaminated materials. Simply put the contaminated equipment in the machine, close the hatch and start the cleaning program.
The Solo Rescue offers the easiest, quickest and safest way of cleaning contaminated SCBA’s, face masks, helmets, boots and gloves. You can choose between a 3 min cycle for gloves and boots or an 8 min cycle for SCBA’s, facepieces and helmets. It has a capacity of cleaning up to 14 SCBA’s (including facepiece), 56 facepieces, 21 helmets, 60 boots and 120 pairs of gloves per hour. Make sure to follow your manufacturers washing instructions.
All you need to clean single and double cylinder SBCAs is included with standard delivery of Solo Rescue. The heavy duty basket is used at all times and is paired with accessories to wash different gear. The SCBA holders are placed over the centre bracket of the basket. Place the gear holder accessory in the bottom of the heavy duty basket to load and wash facepieces, helmets, gloves and boots. Full capacity requires two gear holders (one is included as standard equipment).
We were thoroughly impressed by the machine’s ease of operation, efficiency and performance. The number of contaminants that were removed from the SCBAs that had previously been cleaned by hand was astonishing. Gary Robertson, Captain at Kananaskis Emergency Services in Alberta, Canada.
Cancer – the Number One Cause of Death Among Firefighters
According to numerous studies cancer is the number one cause of death among firefighters. In North America cancer caused 61% of the career firefighter line-of-duty deaths from January 1, 2002, to March 31, 2017. Firefighters also run a 9% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14% higher risk of dying from cancer than the general population.
How to clean your PPE equipment
In order to minimize the risk for firefighters of being diagnosed with cancer we need to minimize their exposure to cancer causing toxic chemicals such as PAH particles. One way of doing that is trough thorough cleaning and decontamination of the PPE equipment. There are a few things to always bare in mind while doing so.
