TRANSPORTING CONTAMINATED EQUIPMENT Contaminated equipment, turnouts and hose should be transported back to the fire station in a manner, designed to reduce cross-contamination. 1 Gear should be encapsulated utilizing a single-use, heavy-duty plastic bag. The bag should be of sufficient size (42-gallon) and strength (2-3 mil) to contain all contaminated gear, including turnouts, helmet, mask, gloves and boots. 1 The encapsulated gear should be placed outside of the passenger compartment, in an external compartment. Transport gear in a similar manner to a facility with an extractor or to an ISP. 1 Upon arrival back at fire station, and prior to personnel taking showers, open the turnout bag and let the turnouts off-gas outside the OPERATIONS: EMERGENCY fire station. After showering and changing to a clean uniform, remove any tools from turnouts and launder in extractor or repackage for transport to designated cleaning station or ISP. 1 Transporting contaminated equipment, hose and turnouts in the bed of a utility pickup will not need to be encapsulated. Be sure to wear appropriate PPE when handling contaminated equipment and clean the transport vehicle after use. CLEANING TURNOUTS Gross Decon happens at the fire scene first. Turnouts should then be cleaned after each exposure to toxic products of combustions. Exposures can be from car fires, dumpster fires, structure fires and training burns. Accumulation of soot and chemicals on turnouts can lead to persistent exposures of carcinogens to fire fighters. Structural turnouts, including gloves, helmet, hood, boots, pant and coat, should be cleaned according to manufacturer’s recommendation and NFPA 1851. BELOW: Bagging up contaminated turnouts and SCBAs prevents cross-contamination. 1 6