What are you doing to improve operational hygiene as a factory fire brigade?
Annual training sessions are held as a matter of course at factory fire brigades. Service forces are very aware nowadays. Contaminated protective wear is no longer taken back to the fire station “unpacked”, and special packaging materials (such as Dräger’s Safety Bag) have proved their worth. In addition, many fire engines have been equipped with hygiene boards, and even boot washing machines are considered standard equipment at factory fire brigades now.
How do you organise PPE cleaning, care and repair?
At Chemiepark Marl we have opted to have all clothing cleaned externally. For special clothing we have had good experience with specialised service providers. Ultra-cool C02 has produced outstanding results. But there is substantial room for improvement for the standard cleaning of firefighters’ clothing. We would like to see a certification of cleaning services providers for the various products. Besides cleaning, regular maintenance is also a key topic. In my view, repairs are best catered to by the manufacturers due to guarantee issues.
What could suppliers do to support you in this?
Manufacturers have indeed understood the issue, and training was already provided for laundry service providers in the past. But we would like to see more here – such as a list of the providers trained by manufacturers, for example, or a certification of laundry service providers – this could result in substantial quality improvements. Maybe our Association can help here, too.
