Following up on the issue of the cost of cleaning local firefighters' gear, The Valley Reporter reached out to Craig Snell, assistant fire chief for the Waitsfield Fayston Volunteer Fire Department.
Per state and federal regulations, firefighters’ turn out gear must be washed with a specific type of washing machine extractor capable of removing the carcinogens and other toxins firefighters are exposed to when fighting fires. In November 2021 Snell said that the Waitsfield Fayston Fire Department was granted an extractor from the Leary Foundation.
“Soon after we received notice of the award, we notified the Waitsfield Select board,” Snell said.
That extractor arrived in early 2022, an $8000 piece of equipment funded by the Leary Foundation. Firefighters intended to hook up the extractor to the septic system at the firehouse - which Snell said other fire departments do.