"The Cres Guard units will be placed in the transition zone of the new station where a large amount of our decontamination will take place and what's nice about the Cres Guard system is that it's chemical-free. It's just using heat and humidity, so we don't have storage issues of chemicals and additional costs."
- Chief Matt Sabo
Celebrating its bicentennial in 2022, Concord Township, Ohio is about 23.1 square miles and has an estimated population of 19,254. With 49 Firefighters in 2 stations, the Fire Department provides 24-hour fire suppression and emergency medical services. The Department responds to an average of 2,448 calls per year and comes equipped with three engines and ambulances, one heavy rescue, and two command and fire prevention vehicles.
Concord Township teamed up with the community, highly qualified architects and construction groups to build a new fire station centered around firefighter health, safety, training, education, and response readiness. The new station design addresses space issues and contamination of crews and equipment. The result of planning and design is for the new station to be relevant in the fire service for another 50 years or more. The new station is planned for 2023 when the Fire Department marks its 75th anniversary.
Challenges in the Current Station Design
Firefighter health and safety, as well as response readiness, are the prime focus of the Concord Township Fire Department. The existing stations are limited by space and design. Currently, the engines, utility vehicles, and rescue vehicles are kept and maintained in separate buildings due to lack of space; impacting response time.
Also, decontamination of PPE and gear is possible
only at station 1, with the department's only washer extractor. Contaminated items from station 2 must go to station 1 for cleaning. Moreover, the gear is stored in the bay that off-gases into the living area, increasing health risks. With the engine and
ambulance parked, the firefighters have little room to decontaminate, let alone don or doff the gear.
Fire Department officers, working with township administration and elected officials, supported the design of the new station to allow better operations, thus creating a safer environment for their employees.
“With the construction of the new station, its design is going to allow for better decontamination in the future. Our main focus is to make sure our firefighters go home and don't take home with them the contaminants that they get from work and so we keep the stuff at work that belongs at work,”
-Chief Sabo
New Station Design Allows to Improve Health & Safety
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Chief Sabo indicated that they learned at the Station Design Conference a lot about a concept called the hot-zone design, the decontamination of firefighters, and using the design of the station to improve the health and welfare of the firefighters.
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Chief Sabo and his team worked with the architects to incorporate the concept of hot zone design for the new station. This design will allow the living quarters and business side (Green zone) to remain free from contaminants. The apparatus floor (Red zone) is separated from the green zone by a warm (Yellow) zone that forms a barrier using a controlled positive-pressure ventilation system to keep any contaminants in the bay. All the protective gear used will be cleaned and decontamination systems will be kept in the yellow zone to reduce any off-gassing or blood/air-borne pathogens from entering the living quarters.
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The biggest impact that the new station will have on the Concord community is the fact that all the response vehicles are going to be under one roof and readily accessible to the first responders.
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The new station also offers integrated training with a training tower for rope and confined space rescue drills, complete with tie-down anchors. “The only limitation is the firefighter’s imagination when it comes to what kind of training they want to do,” added Chief Sabo. The new tower allows for more training and the ability to provide a better emergency response. Their procedures also call for more frequent and immediate decontamination of training gear to reduce contamination risks.
Why was Cres Guard Mobile Decontamination Specified in the Design of the New Station?
In early 2021, Concord Township Fire Department partnered with Cres Cor Health and Safety to pilot the Cres Guard nonchemical decontamination of turnout gear and PPE. Since then, the Concord Township Fire Department has used the Cres Guard system over multiple shifts for their gear and PPE. The system reduced viruses and bacteria on the gear after each call with a simple 15-minute cycle and provided the ability to keep the department free from biological contamination.
When the new station was proposed, the firefighters and the Chiefs realized the value of rapid decontamination and decided the Cres Guard unit would have a place in the new station. The cabinet is designed for mobility and can plug in anywhere to meet the department's needs.
Chief Sabo mentioned, "the Cres Guard unit will be placed in that transition zone where a large amount of our decontamination will take place." In about 80% of the calls, the gear is not soiled and does not need to go through a wash cycle but still can benefit from a quick chemical-free decontamination cycle to reduce biological hazards and cross-contamination at the station.
"The Cres Guard system has very few limitations. As long as whatever we are putting in is sustainable in a heat and moist environment, it is suitable for that cabinet." Chief Sabo said.
The firefighters can now decontaminate their turnout, hazmat gear, bedding, radio straps, medical jump bags, workout gear, and personal items like shoes and backpacks.
“When we look at Cost Vs benefit, the cost of a Cres Guard unit is minimal compared to the long-term effects of contamination on our firefighters and their families, Building a new station that's just under $10 million and looking to put an $8,000 piece of equipment in it that has long-term effects, it was an easy decision.”
- Chief Sabo
What's in it for the Architects?
"Having used the Cres Guard decontamination system, there are opportunities for architects to engage with their clients on this new chemical-free decontamination technology to help them with their decontamination issues. Especially on the biological side, whether it's bloodborne pathogens or bed bugs, it would be a great recommendation by the architects to their clients. Very few, if any other solutions exist for reducing biohazard." remarked Chief Sabo.
“Very early in our conversations with architects, we were recommended chemical-based solutions mostly suitable for soiled gear decontamination. We developed the relationship with Cres Cor and used the Cres Guard system. We presented it to our architect as an add-on that we're going to install in our new station for biological decontamination daily."
- Chief Sabo
How Can Other Local First Responder Benefit?
"Once the new station is up and operational and the Cres Guard system is in play, it will be made available to other agencies, such as Lake County Sheriff's Office here in Northeast Ohio. We've already had the SWAT team here using the Cres Guard system,” said Chief Sabo.
As always, Concord Township Fire Department is excited to share this 'quick decontamination' unit in the new station with other agencies to decontaminate their equipment like ballistic vests, helmets, gloves, or similar items in their space to keep each other and the community safer together.
“But what's nice is other agencies may not have as much need for it to justify the expense, so that's where it's nice to have that shared asset in our new station.”
-Chief Sabo
About Cres Cor Health & Safety
Cres Cor Health and Safety is a division of Cres Cor, a family-owned company that is well-known as a premier brand in the commercial food service industry for its innovative heating technologies, and high-quality and specialty metal solutions. Founded in 1936, with state-of-the-art manufacturing and distribution facilities in Northeast Ohio, the Cres Cor Health and Safety Division was established in 2021 to focus on the health and safety of first responders and public health professionals.
For more information, contact Rio DeGennaro at Cres Cor Health and Safety.
Phone: (440) 463-0808
Email: rdegennaro@crescor-hs.com