Robert Malmsten, Sales Director EMEA and APAC at Rescue Intellitech, explains how on-site PPE decontamination supports firefighter health, operational continuity and compliance
Can you tell us about Rescue Intellitech and its role in the sector?
Rescue Intellitech is a leading provider of specialist PPE cleaning solutions for fire and rescue services across the world.
We’re based in Sweden and began selling our Solo Rescue Decon Washers to fire services in Scandinavia back in 2012.
Today our machines are used daily by hundreds of fire departments across Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania.
Our aim is to help improve the health, safety and wellbeing of firefighters, by providing station-based decontamination equipment for all firefighting PPE including self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), boots, gloves, helmets, masks, and firefighter clothing.
What sets us apart is that we specialise in decontaminating firefighting kit, unlike our competitors who tend to focus on the supply of household and commercial dishwashers.
As a result, everything we do from equipment design to servicing, is based on the unique needs and challenges faced by the fire services.
How is Rescue Intellitech supporting services in addressing firefighter exposure to harmful contaminants?
Exposure to smoke during firefighting can pose serious long-term health risks, including heart disease, lung damage and cancer.
While firefighters wear specialist protective clothing and SCBA to stay safe during incidents, toxic residues from smoke can linger on PPE long after the fire is extinguished, where they can later be inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
Research published in 2023 for the Fire Brigades Union by UCLan Professor, Anna Stec, provided evidence of the heightened health risks faced by UK firefighters through their exposure to contaminants.
The report made a number of urgent recommendations to address this and specifically noted that PPE should be thoroughly decontaminated after every fire-related incident to avoid a build-up of toxic contaminants.
Our Solo Rescue and DeconWasher Pro S machines have been specifically designed to clean firefighter helmets, SCBA, boots, and gloves swiftly and effectively.
Earlier this year we launched our specialist washing machines for firefighter clothing, as well as drying cabinets for all PPE, so that we now offer a full suite of equipment suitable for fire station decontamination rooms.
What is the role of on-site PPE care compared with outsourcing cleaning?
On-site decontamination with decon washers and dryers can provide a total cleaning solution for smaller Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) and are a game-changer for firefighter training facilities that are constantly using a relatively small amount of stock PPE.
All top-to-toe PPE can be swiftly cleaned and dried on-site and put back into service.
For those larger FRSs with managed services contracts, our solutions are an ideal supplement.
Most FRSs have a weekly collection for dirty PPE, which is then returned seven days later.
New cleaning recommendations mean that a cluster of fire-related call-outs can leave firefighters without a set of clean kit to use, or having to use the wrong size from a spare pool.
Some FRSs have even taken the step to invest in three sets of personal issue kit to rectify this, at considerable expense.
By supplementing managed services contracts with on-site decontamination facilities, FRSs can expediate turn-around for essential kit and reduce expenditure on spares.
Many FRSs that have managed services contracts for clothing still hand wash their own helmets and SCBA at the station.
One Solo Rescue decontamination machine can wash up to 21 helmets or 14 full SCBAs in an hour, making this process far quicker and safer.
How does your equipment balance effective decontamination with preserving PPE lifespan?
Although decontamination is essential to protect against carcinogens, over time frequent or improper washing of PPE can weaken fabrics and components, and impact protective performance.
Rescue Intellitech’s machines have been specifically designed to ensure that the decontamination process is thorough but remarkably gentle, preserving the integrity of the gear.
The Solo Rescue and Decon Washer Pro S machines use technology to optimise water flow to even the most inaccessible parts of equipment without compromising function and quality.
Similarly, our new washing machines for firefighter clothing have15 pre-programmed gentle and effective wash cycles suitable for everything from heavy-duty textiles to delicate technical fabrics.
We’ve adopted the same careful consideration with our dryers too, with technology that simultaneously dries the outside and inside of the PPE without mechanical action, preventing damage and helping to prolong the life of the kit.
How has feedback from fire services influenced equipment design and development?
Feedback from FRSs and their input into our designs is crucial.
The development of the narrower, streamlined DeconWasher Pro S was a direct result of feedback from UK fire services requesting machines for smaller fire stations with limited space.
Fire services have also helped us develop our range of baskets to hold specific pieces of kit.
The small parts holder, for example, enables safe washing of even the smallest pieces of PPE such as disassembled SCBA valves and regulators.
We also launched our popular Decon as a Service subscription model in response to feedback from FRSs, enabling access to Rescue Intellitech machines and services without upfront investment costs.
What are the next steps for PPE management and how does Rescue Intellitech see its role in supporting firefighter health and safety in future?
A lot of work is being done on fire station design to incorporate best practice procedures, such as minimising exposure to contaminated gear through the creation of green, amber and red designated spaces.
Fire services are also considering how best to accommodate more frequent cleaning of PPE, with station-based systems emerging as a sensible and cost-effective solution or addition.
At Rescue Intellitech, our long-term goal is to assist with this transition by providing FRSs across the world with quality, station-based decontamination solutions.
We’ll continue to innovate and develop products that prioritise firefighter health, safety and operational resilience.
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