MN Firefighters Hoping Pols Approve New Gear

July 09 -- Duluth Fire Chief Dennis Edwards remembers a day when grimy gear was considered "a badge of honor" for firefighters.

"But we didn't know that we were generally causing harm to ourselves by exposing ourselves to the same fire over and over," he said, noting that dirty gear has been shown to increase the risk of firefighters contracting cancer.

Monday night the Duluth City Council will be asked to approve the purchase of 50 new sets of turnout gear for firefighters at a cost of $119,900. The fire-resistant heavy-duty suits aren't cheap — $1,229 per jacket and $1,169 per pair of pants for a total cost of $2,398 per set of gear.

The purchase is the first of several anticipated in coming months as the fire department works to replace worn gear, outfit new members and provide an extra set of turnout gear for every firefighter.

Edwards said the gear acquisition is part of the fire department's cancer prevention initiative, and the extra set of gear was part of a contract recently negotiated by International Association of Firefighters Local No. 101, with support from fire department administration.

"We all know when we sign up for this job that it's hazardous and it's dangerous, but the best industry practice is to have two sets of turnout gear so that firefighters can nearly always have a clean set to wear," Edwards said.

Besides additional turnout gear for firefighters, the city has committed to purchase more specialized laundering equipment for the apparel when it is soiled in the field — deep-cleaning machines called extractor washers. Right now, just three of the city's eight fire halls have the extractor washers, and Edwards said plans call to equip all fire halls with the machines.

Duluth aims to have the new equipment in place and two pairs of turnout gear for all its firefighters — all 132 of them — by the end of next year.

Edwards said that dirty gear can pose a danger not only to the individual firefighter wearing it but to others, if the fire hall subsequently becomes contaminated with carcinogenic matter.

Firefighters are more likely than members of the general public to be diagnosed with cancer and to die of the disease, according to a study of 30,000 people in the profession between the years of 2010 and 2015 by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The most prevalent types of life-threatening cancer diagnosed in the firefighter study were digestive, oral, respiratory and urinary.

Besides improving the cleanliness of gear, the city's pending purchases will replace worn-out equipment, as firefighting gear takes a beating.

"Our firefighters do a lot of hard work wearing their turnout gear, in both structure fires and car accidents and rescues of other types of rescues," Edwards said.

While the industry standard is that turnout gear will last for about 10 years, that's not always the case when they are subjected to particularly hard wear or dirty conditions, such as the recent Husky refinery fire in Superior.

Sometimes torn or damaged gear can be fixed, but such repairs must be completed by certified professionals.

"So sometimes, if you get a rip or a tear in a set of turnout gear, sometimes it can be repaired, and sometimes it can't. But we do the best we can for the taxpayers and balance that with keeping our people in safe turnout gear while also being mindful of the budget." Edwards said.

___ (c)2018 the Duluth News Tribune (Duluth, Minn.) Visit the Duluth News Tribune (Duluth, Minn.) at www.duluthnewstribune.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.