Houston Firefighters To Receive More Protective Gear

HOUSTON - Mayor Sylvester Turner has grated tentative approval from Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña to purchase additional protective gear for firefighters. The protective sock style hoods come at a cost of $560,000 for 4,000 additional protective firefighting hoods for the Houston Fire Department.

According to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1851 guidelines, cleaning and decontamination are important in maintaining the integrity of protective gear in reducing exposure to carcinogens.

HFD members evaluate their gear after each use. As needed, to reduce risk and avoid exposure, some form of cleaning may be required before wearing the gear again. This purchase of 4,000 hoods will provide each firefighter with an additional hood to allow cleaning after an event reducing the liklihood of wearing contaminated gear.

"I want to do what I can to assist in limiting firefighter exposure to particulates that can pass through the fabric of dirty personal protective hoods and be absorbed by the skin on the neck. With this change, I’m considering the operation perspective and an additional protective hood allows firefighters to readily swap out the soiled piece of equipment with a clean one to help protect our firefighters from exposure to carcinogens," Peña said.

The hoods will also protect firefighters during non-fire-related rescue operations, emergency medical operations, and victim extrication.

Additionally, HFD has switched to a new protective hood which is a departure from the hood used for years. The new Nomex hood is custom made for HFD with emphasis on particulate protection against chemicals, gases, and vapors.
One last approval is needed from city council members to move forward.

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Image: Houston Fire Department

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