Does your organization have questions about NFPA 1851?  We receive many calls to our shop asking “What does NFPA 1851 say?”  We welcome these calls, as everything that we do is directed by the NFPA 1851 document, so we know what NFPA 1851 says.

We posted a NFPA 1851 summary on our blog some time ago, and it may be of use to anybody looking for information on NFPA 1851.

A few things about NFPA 1851 and fire bunker gear cleaning:

• NFPA 1851 does not “certify” an organization to clean fire gear, any claims of being “NFPA 1851 Certified” are false.
• NFPA 1851 spells out several “levels” of cleaning.  These levels of cleaning are “routine” “advanced” and “Specialized.”
• NFPA 1851 sets a minimum set of records that must be maintained on every set of firefighting gear including any dates and reasons for fire gear advanced cleanings.
• NFPA 1851 states that soiled or contaminated elements shall not be brought into the home, washed in home laundries, or washed in public laundries unless the public laundry has a dedicated business to handle fire fighting protective clothing.
• NFPA 1851 states that every six months, at a minimum, elements that have been issued, used, and are soiled, shall receive advanced cleaning.
• NFPA 1851 says that heavy scrubbing or high velocity power washers shall not be used.
• NFPA states that cleaning or decontamination solution shall not be greater than pH 10.5

These are just a few points from the NFPA 1851 document.  Again, you may find the summary of NFPA 1851 useful.  In our next post, we will talk about NFPA 1851 and fire bunker gear repair.  If you have any questions about NFPA 1851, and you would like to speak to us, we welcome your phone call.

Call Shamrock Gear at 330-313-1220 and we will help you decipher the NFPA 1851 document.

CitroSqueeze ® PPE cleaner, the fire gear cleaning solution used by Shamrock Gear and Repair, has become a key part of the Shamrock Gear and Repair business of fire gear cleaning.  As a result of the success of the CitroSqueeze ® product, Shamrock Gear and Repair has added a CitroSqueeze ® page to our website.  You may now buy CitroSqueeze ® from Shamrock Gear and Repair.  For more in depth information on CitroSqueeze ®, please see our CitroSqueeze ® page.  Help your fire department comply with the recommendations in NFPA 1851, use a fire gear cleaning solution that meets those recommendations, use CitroSqueeze ®.

Fire coat covered in Tar & Oil

Checkin’ the oil, kickin’ the tires, and fillin’ the tank are simple little things we do to ensure that our vehicles are going to run when we want them to.  Sure these are simple efforts that we take for granted, but,  go without easy “minute maintenance” and the outcome could be catastrophic.  What does any of this have to do with fire gear?  I am just trying to relate.  (As the husband of a 1st Grade teacher, I have learned how to help people relate thoughts to what they know.) 

Fire gear needs the daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly inspections the same as your car does.  If your car is dirty, you wash it.  If your fire gear is dirty, you “look cool”.  If your tire is flat, you put air in it.  If your fire gear has a scorch, you are “tough”.  If the car runs out of gas, you fill it up.  If your moisture barrier, outer shell, or thermal liner is in poor repair, you could—  oh yes!  DIE!

It is simple math– we take better care of our cars than we do of our fire gear- the HEART of protection for a firefighter.  Why?  Is it too hard to look over our gear?  In less than five minutes, you can give your gear a quick once over at the start of shift.  Are there rips or tears?  Is the reflective trim torn, coming loose, or not reflective?  Do all the closures work properly?  Velcro clean?  Snaps snap?  Clips clip?  Does it still fit?  Yes, I know gear shrinks in the waist- our bellies never get bigger!  Finally, is it clean?  Does it smell like last week’s fire?  Diesel fuel?  Or a moldy jock strap?  Yes, the sweat for our finely tuned bodies can smell and rot our gear! 

What happens in your department if you find any of these minor flaws in your gear?  Overlook it?  Maybe, but always remember that the firefighter ensemble you wear is your first line of defense to staying alive.  A quick inspection of the “Heart” of firefighter protection can help to keep your heart pumping!

For more rants and raves, give me a call- I can go on all day!

Rob

Fire coat after removing Tar & Oil

The following statements are TRUE:

1- Shamrock Gear & Repair is located is Stark County, Ohio.

2- In the Northeast corner of Ohio, there are over 400 fire departments.

3- In Northeast Ohio, there is only 1 Fire Gear Care & Repair Facility.

4- Shamrock Gear can and will pick up, clean, inspect, repair, and return your fire gear in a timely fashion.  This ensures your gear is compliant to NFPA 1851 and safe for your firefighters. 

5- Shamrock Gear can come to your department and perform Advanced Inspections while keeping your gear in service.

6- Shamrock Gear helps your department get the full life of your gear and saves you money for replacement.

7- You can’t afford not to call our office and find a Maintenance Program  that fits you department.

8- You will not regret your call!!

As General Manager of Shamrock Gear & Repair LLC, I focus very closely on the fire departments in our region.  Being located in Central Ohio, we like to focus on departments that we can visit, train, pick-up, and deliver to in a short time.  We all understand that when looking at fire gear repair, time frames are important.  “How long will you have our gear?”   ”What is the turn around time for repairs?”  These are examples of the most common questions we get in our office, even before “How much?”.  So as I track where our customers are contacting us from, I watch our website traffic.

Recently, I have seen a large influx of traffic and visits from Texas, Kansas, California, Michigan, New York, and Florida.  There have been as many, or more, visits from those states as from Ohio.  This tells me that those states are looking for answers to the question “What do we need to do to maintain our gear and stay NFPA compliant?”.  It is not a simple answer, but not complicated. 

1)  Get a copy of NFPA 1851.  Read it.  Try to understand it (or stay awake while you read it).  Make a list of questions you have about the standard.  Interpretations of the document may vary from one person to another.  Getting a basic understanding and begin planning your Maintenance Program.

2)  Contact your Firefighter Ensemble Dealer or Manufacturer.  Get their recommendations. 

3)  Find a list of verified Independant Service Providers (ISP’s) and contact one, two, or all of them.  Ask your questions.  Look for training, services, references, prices, so on and so forth.  Interview that ISP to see if they are going to be the right fit for you and your department.

4)  Search the World Wide Web for online training.  Read the articles, watch the videos, do what you can “in house” that will save you money and keep members safe.  With the proper training from an ISP, you can do a lot of general maintenance yourself, right up to the point of advanced steps and sewing or repairs. 

At this point, it is time to choose an ISP for further assistance and repairs. 

It all sounds very simple- maybe it is.  But, it is not a task that should be taken lightly.  The individual in your department that has or takes on the task of your department’s gear maintenance should be diligent in the procedure and task.  The assignment could be overwhelming if there is no Program in place.  A quality ISP can be of great assistance.

So, if you are in one of the states that I mentioned earlier, and you are not getting answers in your state, contact Shamrock Gear, we can help!!

Remember:

We test our fire pumps, we test our fire hose, we test our SCBA’s, we test our ladders- DO WE TEST OUR FIRE GEAR?

Rob Leahy

The following is a list of articles from different publications regarding the cleaning and maintenance of your fire gear.

Take a few minutes and see that Shamrock Gear is not the only one preaching:

“KEEP YOUR GEAR CLEAN!”

http://firechief.com/training/apparel/firefighting_keep_clean/index.html

http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-products/turnoutgear/articles/447978-Turnout-maintenance-Protecting-the-protector/

http://www.fireengineering.com/forum/message.html?id=2767

http://www.maacenter.org/asbestos/workplace/firefighterssafetygear.php

http://www.firerescue1.com/firefighter-safety/articles/510075-How-to-Manage-PPE-Asbestos-Exposure

http://www.firerescue1.com/Columnists/Jeffrey-O-Stull/articles/497846-How-to-Manage-Chemically-Contaminated-PPE/

http://www.firerescue1.com/Columnists/Jeffrey-O-Stull/

http://www.winsol.com/firesafety.htm

http://www.continentalgirbau.com/firedepartments

There are many more articles on the great

World Wide Web.

Search for yourself, call your manufacturer, or your contact your local ISP.

Shamrock Gear & Repair LLC

Leather Firefighter Radio Holster end of summer sale.

For the month of September radio holsters are

“Buy 5 Get 1 Free!”

Get your buddies together and save some money.

Department purchases are welcome.

See our online:

http://www.shamrockgear.biz/store.htm

and contact our office for details.

At Shamrock Gear, we are offering even greater discounted rates on our Maintenance Programs.  The Bronze Program- Cleaning and Advanced Inspection- is the first big step to proper gear care.  We want to help your department get the most out of your budget.  Contact us for the DEEP DISCOUNT fire gear cleaning and inspection program.

330-313-1220

As firefighters, we always hear about watching the Department’s budget.  We use equipment that may be new,or 20+ years old.  We roll with the punches.  We do the job that we have chosen because we love it.  If we wanted to make a lot of money we would have taken another test.  We will not become “pocket rich” in the fire service.  We will be rich in friendship, memories, and accomplishments.  You know where I am coming from. 

So, with that said, how disheartening is to hear that departments all over are having to cut budgets.  Mayors, council people, trustees, and municipal officials are telling fire chiefs to cut the budget!  Some by 20% or more.  This is a job (Chief) that none of you want right now.  We blame politicians, bankers, investors, administration, chiefs, blah, blah, blah.  Who do we blame?  We want to pin it on someone.  The President?  Current or past?  We all of a sudden are trying to point fingers.  Maybe we as each individual had something to do with it also?!?  Maybe we as firefighters and “Protectors of the Public” should just suck it up and be happy.  Happy that we may still have a job for now, or happy we took the test that we did.  I don’t know the answer. 

What I do know is that firefighters have to stay strong.  As budgets drop, call numbers go up.  As resources diminish, the amount of help needed increases.  We are the fix all!  And we do it!  Every BS call may be another “Chapter in the Book”.

Budgets are being squeezed tight, but are our hearts for the job we love being squeezed also????

We are proud to present to our customers in Ohio and surrounding states, the opportunity to supply them with the PPE cleaner used by SGR. CitroSqueeze® PPE Cleaner from Solutions Safety Services.  Fire departments all over the world are working hard to comply with NFPA 1851.  Help yourself and make it easy by using a PPE cleaner that meets the NFPA 1851 recommendations.  CitroSqueeze® PPE Cleaner is tested and proven safe by Dupont for cleaning Nomex®, Southern Mills for cleaning P.B.I.® and Kevlar® fabrics, W.L. Gore & Assocs. (Germany) for cleaning Gore-tex®, 3M Products for cleaning specific Scotchlite® Retroreflective Firecoat Trims #8486/7, 9825, 8930, 8935, 8986/7, 9910, & 9486/7, and Safety Components International, Inc. & CIBA Speciality Chemicals for cleaning Isodri™ System (outer shell fabric). Help maintain the protective properties of your firefighter ensemble and care for it with Shamrock Gear and CitroSqueeze®.

Contact our office for prices and order information.