Firefighting and laundry.
At first glance, they may not seem to compliment each other, especially nearly 30 years ago when Division Chief and Fire Marshal Lance Dahl joined the Spokane Fire Department.
"Guys were proud of dirty gear," Dahl recalled "You went to a fire, you got dirty and you never cleaned your helmet."
Things have changed a bit, though. For the better.
Wander into any fire station these days and you're certain to find clean, laundered gear hanging and waiting to go to the next call.
When firefighters respond to a fire, the battle doesn't stop once the flames are out. In a way, it's just the beginning because everything burning in a fire - the furniture, the carpet, the building itself - they are all releasing harmful chemicals which linger long after the flames are gone.