OKC Fire Department Installs Biological Decontamination Cabinets

"New technology offers first-ever mobile decontamination without chemicals, long periods of downtime, or complicated training."

COVID-19 and Other Biological Hazards

First responders, just like hospital personnel, experienced an abrupt wake-up call with COVID-19. For firefighters and police, discovering how easily biological diseases can be transmitted by touch and airborne drove dramatic changes in how safety forces respond to emergencies.

Battalion Chief Clint Greenwood, Oklahoma City Fire Department (ret.), was responsible for Hazardous Materials response in the State of Oklahoma. He served the department for 35 years and was the Hazardous Materials Officer in charge for the City of Oklahoma City, and the Hazardous Materials Response Team Leader on shift, worked with local, State, and Federal agencies to mitigate the hazards and affect a safe and successful situational outcome throughout the State of Oklahoma. Following the events of September 11, 2001, he was tasked with creating a larger response base for Hazardous Materials response in Oklahoma. The job was to train, develop, and stand up 15 additional Hazardous Materials Teams and 22 Hazardous Materials Decontamination Teams.

Decontamination Challenges for Fire Equipment & Protective Gear

“Other than removing clothing and washing, which was easy, it was apparent that certain equipment was difficult to clean, disinfect and decontaminate,” states Chief Greenwood. Structural turnout gear, dual certification gear, (rescue/wildland), helmets, EMS jump kits, SCBA masks, basically all the non-consumable durable equipment is difficult to clean to NFPA 1851 standards.

Cross-contamination became a key issue because of how close the firefighting personnel work with each other. Living in the same quarters, riding on the same apparatus for at least twenty-four (24) hours created some challenging scenarios in keeping personnel healthy during the pandemic. Whether it is on the incident scene, riding back to the station, or during the daily activities at the fire station, the possibility of contamination was and is still everywhere.

“Just the sheer fact that firefighting personnel could not see the contamination, it was not real to them,” added Chief Greenwood. Noting that nationally, over 80% of emergency requests fire departments receive are EMS calls. Only through extensive training and research did the realization of how serious of a virus this is and how it begin to impact every aspect of the job.

Chief Greenwood, like many first responders and medical personnel in early on in the pandemic, was vainly searching for a way to disinfect different types of personal protective equipment (PPE), for example, N95 masks, which were in short supply. “When I was introduced to Cres Guard at the Fire Department Instructor Conference (FDIC),” Chief Greenwood said, “I knew I had found a device that would help to combat any future biological emergencies. The simplicity of use and the mobility of these cabinets caught my eye first. Then after a breakdown of its capabilities opened a wide array of uses for our Department.”

“The Cres Guard Cabinet has made the task of biological decontamination extremely easy and does not put the equipment out of service for long periods of time.”

-Chief Greenwood

COVID-19 Prompts a Rapid Search for Solutions

In early 2020, Cres Cor, the parent company of Cres Guard, was also looking to solve the N95 mask crisis. With 86 years of service in the commercial food service industry, the company’s health and safety division was exploring the use of its innovative heating technology to impact mask decontamination. After partnering with a prominent hospital system to validate the technology, it was quickly determined that Cres Guard’s nonchemical solution worked.

A second in-depth laboratory study confirmed the technology worked on firefighting gear and equipment. Furthermore, the research indicated decontamination at a 6-log reduction (99.9999%) for difficult-to-kill non-enveloped viruses, dramatically exceeding the NFPA 1851 standard of 99.9%. In just 15 minutes, using precision heat and humidity, the Cres Guard cabinet provided safe and non-chemical decontamination. This quick, 15-minute cycle allows for gear to remain in service and not be subjected to harsh chemicals or long drying times. The heavy-duty stainless steel cabinets are mounted on swivel casters and only require a 110 V outlet and water.

Training and Firefighter Acceptance

The crews readily accepted the new equipment and were provided a Training Module about the cabinets for each employee to view online. “I was extremely surprised at how easy it was to set up and put in service. Having access to the QR code which provided information and content on the cabinets helped personnel with most of their questions concerning the disinfecting cabinets,” comments Chief Greenwood.

Oklahoma City Fire Department personnel used the Cres Guard daily to disinfect various items. For example, the EMS jump kits were disinfected after each EMS incident. Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) face pieces, mattress pads, and even cushions off of couches were treated in the Cres Guard cabinets. On occasion, the police department used the cabinets to disinfect their ballistic vests.

“We did notice that after installing the Cres Guard, we saw a drop in the spread of COVID-19 among the personnel. We also discovered that these cabinets were beneficial in killing bed bugs as well.”

- Chief Greenwood

Reflecting on 35 Years in the Fire Service

Chief Greenwood started his career with the Oklahoma City Fire Department in May 1987. June 30, 2022 was his last day as he retired from the department, but not from service to the community. He has now taken on the role of Rescue Programs Manager at Oklahoma State University Fire Service Training. In this position, he will be working with subject matter experts in the rescue field to develop accredited programs for the Rescue Technician. Chief Greenwood will also serve the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security as a Board member of the Oklahoma Hazardous Materials Conference, in March 2023, and the Oklahoma Regional Response Readiness Exercise, in October 2023.

“I had been assigned to several of the key stations within the Oklahoma City Fire Department. During my career, I have had the privilege and honor to work with many of the most incredible firefighters, fire officers, and chief officers in the profession,” Chief Greenwood said. “I have also been blessed to be married to the love of my life, Brenda, for over 36 years. We have raised three sons, all of which are married with children of their own. They have given us seven grandchildren.”

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