Title
Fire Services - SCBA Decontamination Washer
Proposed Motion
That Council approve $183,000 for the purchase and installation of SCBA and Equipment Decontamination Washers in the Acheson, West Central, and Tomahawk Fire Stations, funded from Future Capital Restricted Surplus.
Body
Administration Recommendation
Administration supports the proposed motion.
Purpose
To install SCBA and Equipment Decontamination Washing systems in the Acheson, West Central, and Tomahawk Fire Stations.
Summary
Fire Services is requesting approval to fund the purchase and installation of SCBA and firefighting equipment decontamination washers at the Acheson, West Central, and Tomahawk Fire Stations. This request was advanced by the Fire Services Joint Worksite Health and Safety Committee as a priority action item focused on occupational cancer reduction and prevention and is fully supported by Fire Services Administration.
Firefighting occupational exposure is classified as Group 1 carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Approximately 86% of Canadian firefighter occupational fatality claims are cancer-related, with firefighters experiencing significantly higher cancer diagnosis and mortality rates than the general population. These risks are closely linked to repeated exposure to toxic combustion by-products that contaminate SCBA, personal protective equipment (PPE), and firefighting tools during emergency operations.
Currently, contaminated SCBA and equipment are cleaned primarily through manual hand-washing methods, which result in inconsistent outcomes, limited removal of deeply embedded contaminants, increased secondary exposure to personnel performing the cleaning, and accelerated wear on critical life-safety equipment.
Dedicated SCBA and equipment decontamination washer systems are purpose-built for the fire service and provide a controlled, repeatable, and validated cleaning process using calibrated mechanical action, regulated water tem...
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