In response to a request by Houston firefighters, the Texas Commission on Fire Protection this week adopted stricter rules for how fire departments show they adequately clean firefighters' gear to remove contaminants.
Fire departments across the state now must file a standard operating procedure for gear cleaning annually with the commission in Austin, instead of merely being required to have a policy on the books. Numerous studies in the past decade have linked carcinogens, which firefighters are routinely exposed to on the job, to cancers and respiratory illnesses. That increased awareness has pushed the fire commission to take gear cleaning more seriously, Executive Director Tim Rutland said.
"There is additional attention being paid to care and maintenance of personal protective equipment that departments provide for their folks," Rutland said.