Committee reviews PPE-cleaning standards, extractor gaps and equipment costs

Perryman (speaker S6) briefed the committee on PPE-cleaning practices and NFPA 1851 guidance, noting the standard’s purpose is to reduce long-term cancer risk from contaminants embedded in turnout gear. "NFPA 1851 was released... it's a guideline on how to take better care of your gear so that we can be more healthy in the long run," Perryman said.

Perryman presented an inventory showing Brandy Station and Richardsville lack extractors; Brandy Station currently sends gear to Remington for washing and Richardsville reported potential septic-field constraints that require follow-up. He recommended annual third-party inspections and more standardized cleaning and inspection practices across departments.

Perryman provided equipment cost ranges: about $6,000 for a 2-set extractor washer, roughly $45,000 for a 12-set machine, and an estimated $1,000,000 to acquire second sets of turnout gear for about 200 personnel if the county pursued that option. He recommended the county pursue annual third-party inspections and explore hybrid models (on-site extractors at some stations with shared services at others) to reduce downtime.

Board members expressed concern and asked staff to return with precise numbers and options at future public-safety meetings.