New equipment bolsters Erwin Fire Department

A hot, wet fire scene can leave more than just a mess behind. For the Erwin Fire Department, a new piece of equipment is helping ensure firefighters can get their protective gear properly cleaned, dried and back into service much faster. The department recently received a specialized gear dryer from Ram Air through the company's Hero Grant program. Erwin Fire Chief Jason Harris said the department applied for the grant knowing there was no guarantee it would be selected. Hundreds of departments applied nationwide, Harris said, with two departments receiving dryers this year. The other recipient had been affected by wildfires, with firefighters losing their homes. The Ram Air gear dryer allows firefighters to hang their bunker gear on the unit and circulate air through it, significantly reducing the time needed for equipment to dry. Lance Dornn, a representative with Ram Air and a former firefighter, said the unit can dry a set of gear in roughly two hours under normal conditions, compared with potentially 24 hours when gear is left to air dry in high humidity. "It's a big deal," Harris said, noting that many smaller fire departments do not have backup sets of protective gear. "You know, our guys have got one set of gear. So while it's drying, they're down on gear and trying to find stuff that's out of date until everything's dried up." The department previously had limited options for properly cleaning and drying its gear. Harris said Erwin recently received a commercial gear extractor through another grant, allowing the department to wash the gear before putting it into the new dryer. Dornn said while Ram Air usually only deals out one piece of machinery during the grant process, they elected to award two departments this time around with Erwin being one of them. The equipment is about more than convenience. Dornn said research has increasingly linked exposure to contaminants on firefighters' protective clothing with cancer and other long-term health risks. He said fires can expose bunker gear to hundreds of potentially carcinogenic substances, including chemicals produced when plastics and other materials burn. "Having a way to clean it, to get it back into service, is no longer a luxury," Dornn said. "It's almost a necessity." Dornn, who spent 30 years as a firefighter before retiring in 2021, said reducing firefighters' exposure to contaminants has become an increasingly important part of fire safety. He said that cleaning and drying the gear is almost an afterthought given the other intense experiences a firefighter may face, but he said that there must be a change in how departments view that aspect of the job. Harris said the department's new equipment also could benefit other departments throughout Unicoi County. Erwin firefighters already assist neighboring departments with resources such as its cascade system for filling air bottles, and Harris said the department hopes to continue helping improve equipment and safety practices across the area. "For a small department like this, $8,000 is big," Harris said of the approximate value of the dryer. "Most everything in the fire service is just so expensive."