I would disagree with the article.
For one, we have been doing education and fire prevention for years now, so that’s nothing new We have also known that the burning of wood, plastics, furniture, electronics and other building materials releases hazardous substances such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that with proper use of your PPE and SCBA can greatly reduce the risk for exposer. Where we need to get better is after the event with decon, equipment and self and I believe we’ve made great strides in doing so.
Also, listen to the 911 call from the lady in Florida who latterly burned to death because the fire department would not enter the house. I wouldn’t assume that everyone is dead just because you have smoke and fire on your arrival. That’s just asking for trouble.
And last, holding home/business owner accountable for fires is silly, especially when a majority of them are undetermined cause. Good luck with that in court.
Kevin Stevens
Kevin I agree with you that in general the fire service should be doing a much better job with decon of our equipment and ourselves. This definitely is a realistic process that can be accomplished. Doing a gross decon on scene and a more thorough job once we are back at the station. I agree with the author that just using wet wipes to decon yourself isn't enough.
