As contaminants buildup on your helmet, they pose a health risk from exposure. They also pose a risk when exposed to extreme temperatures as unburned carbon build up makes a beautiful fuel source.

There are a number of reasons to keep your gear clean. In case you haven’t picked up on it yet, the first is for your health and safety. There is also a small publication known as NFPA that states Structural firefighting protective clothing shall be periodically cleaned at least annually, or as soon as it has been soiled or contaminated. I know…. I have heard it a million times “NFPA is not a legal requirement”. Very true, but I also know that in British Columbia WorkSafe regulations are a legal requirement. This is where things get cloudy, but what that means is that if and when WorkSafeBC defers to a “Subject Matter Expert” such as NFPA and requires that employers and employees follow that standard, it now makes that standard a legal requirement. Essentially this mean that Structural fire-fighting protective clothing shall be cleaned at least every 6 months as per NFPA Standards (recommendations). But if someone is seriously willing to challenge to legal strength and position of NFPA because they prefer a “Cool” looking helmet and “experienced” looking gear then perhaps it’s not their gear that needs to be examined as much as it is their head that needs a good look through. CANCER, PERIOD! That’s the only reason you need.

Billy Goldfeder has a simple philosophy when it comes to Fire Fighter Health and Safety, (And yes this guy knows what he is talking about). His one simple question is not about your gear, not about your training, not about your experience…. It’s much deeper than that… “Who’s in your wallet?” (Or to take a slight liberty to modernize this) “Who’s on your Smartphone?” His simple one liner is meant to hit you hard and realize that at the end of every shift, and at the end of your careers, there is someone special waiting patiently and hoping you come home safe. So do yourself a favor, if it isn’t for you, do it for “them”. Keep your gear clean, keep your known health risk exposers to a minimum. In the Fire Service we live by the Risk/Benefit analysis “High Risk for High Reward – Little or No Risk for Little or No Reward”. Basically this means we will play a slight version of Russian Roulette, such as entering an involved Structure (With all our proper PPE) to save a life, but will fight that same fire defensively if we know all the occupants are safely accounted for. Because certain risks are worth taking, let’s keep the exposures limited to those “High Risk – High Reward” scenarios.

Always consult the manufacturer recommendations, but this helmet from a Live Fire Training facility took 15 minutes, an SOS Pad, some hot water and a little (Not even that much) elbow grease and it is exceptionally clean. The point it, there are NO excuses to jeopardize your health and safety. True heroism is not displayed on your PPE, but displayed in how you conduct yourself, protect yourself and how you ensure that at the end of the day you make it safely home to those people who truly matter in our lives, those that depend on us even after we hang up the gear. Don’t clean your PPE for management or WorkSafe, but for Who’s in your Wallet!