NAHANT — The Nahant Fire Department was one of 75 Massachusetts departments awarded grant money to purchase gear-cleaning machines that reduce firefighter exposure to hazardous chemicals.
On Feb. 21, the Baker-Polito Administration announced Nahant will receive $6,448.95 — part of a $420,000 total fund — for a new washer-extractor. The machine allows firefighters to thoroughly clean their gear after being exposed to cancer-causing, toxic particles found in smoke and ash.
Nahant firefighter Austin Antrim said a washer-extractor is a necessary expense for the department.
“All we have at the station to clean our gear is a residential washing machine, and we use the same one to wash our bedding and things like that,” he said. “This grant will allow us to have a separate machine specifically designed for cleaning firefighting gear, and it’ll remove carcinogens that keep weight on our gear when we’re in smoky environments.”
Commercial washer-extractors can be up to 30 times the size of residential machines and use a much faster spin cycle to wring water out of a load post-wash.
“I think (these machines) are far more effective at cleaning gear than a normal, residential washing machine,” Antrim said.
According to the Nahant Fire Department, a national standard set by the National Fire Protection Association delineates specific types of machines firefighters should use to effectively remove chemicals from their gear after a fire.
This year’s grant money is also in addition to $920,000 awarded last year to 174 departments for the purchase of washer-extractors, gloves, and hoods.
“Grants such as this one are an essential resource in helping us maintain our equipment and ensure our firefighters’ safety,” said Chief Dean Palombo in a statement. “We are incredibly thankful to the Baker-Polito administration for providing us with this grant that will allow us to use machines we can trust to thoroughly clean toxic, potentially deadly chemicals from our gear to help prevent occupational cancer.”
