Protect Our Firefighters
Donation protected
For our Sonoma County firefighters, the fires didn't end with the extinguishing of the last flame in October 2017. The many toxic chemicals that exist in modern home construction materials, once released by flames and smoke, stick to all the gear our firefighters wear.*
Did you know that without the proper washing equipment to extract these chemicals from their gear, they are in danger of toxic re-exposure?
Were you also aware that studies have shown that firefighters have cancer rates higher than the general public due to the exposure to these chemicals? Without the proper washers/extractors, they are truly in serious danger.
Unfortunately, these washers/extractors are big ticket items and our local heroes simply cannot afford to install them in their firehouses - but they keep on protecting us and saving our lives everyday.
That's why we're stepping in.
With your help, we will raise the funds to purchase the Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District's Cotati Station their first extractor and pay for the installation.
Our goal is to raise these funds as quickly as possible so, when the Cotati Station's extractor is in place, we will move on to another fire station in need and help them too.
With your support, we will protect our firefighters so they can continue to protect us.
For reference, this is the extractor:
MILNOR MODEL 30015 T6X 40LB WASHER EXTRACTOR WITH RINSAVE WATER CONSERVATION TECHNOLOGY
Hear it from the firefighters themselves - they appear near the end of this interesting talk: Sharyle Patton - Rising from the Ashes: Toxic Dangers of the Sonoma County Fires
*More information about the need for these extractors from a local expert Sharyle Patton:
"Firefighters can be exposed to hundreds of toxic chemicals on the fire ground, and the October fires were no exception, when firefighters were fighting fires in mobile home communities, hotels, hospitals, private homes, woodland fires, cars, vehicles, and commercial buildings. The combination of these kinds of fires creates a toxic soup that firefighters can carry back to the station residues on their turnout gear.
We need to help firefighters decontaminate their gear after a fire as thoroughly as possible, and this kind of cleaning requires special equipment as recommended by the International Association of Firefighters, and other professional organizations. Scientific studies indicate that special clothes washers, called extractors, can get the job done. Extractors can scrub away the toxic chemicals, many of which are carcinogens, or cancer-causing chemicals.
Cancer death rate among firefighters is 14% higher than cancer death rate for the general public, and firefighters have a 9% higher rate of being diagnosed with cancer than does the general public. More than 60% of deaths among firefighters are due to cancer. This has to stop. We need to do whatever we can to lower those rates and to make sure firefighters have what they need to avoid exposures to toxic chemicals.
We need to protect those who have dedicated their lives to protecting ours. We need to chip in now to buy them the extractor clothes washers that will stop the toxic exposures firefighters currently carry on their turn out gear. Dirty turnout gear is not just unsightly; dirty turnout gear is dangerous. Let’s help our firefighters be safe. Let’s buy them the right kind of equipment to clean their turnout gear."
Did you know that without the proper washing equipment to extract these chemicals from their gear, they are in danger of toxic re-exposure?
Were you also aware that studies have shown that firefighters have cancer rates higher than the general public due to the exposure to these chemicals? Without the proper washers/extractors, they are truly in serious danger.
Unfortunately, these washers/extractors are big ticket items and our local heroes simply cannot afford to install them in their firehouses - but they keep on protecting us and saving our lives everyday.
That's why we're stepping in.
With your help, we will raise the funds to purchase the Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District's Cotati Station their first extractor and pay for the installation.
Our goal is to raise these funds as quickly as possible so, when the Cotati Station's extractor is in place, we will move on to another fire station in need and help them too.
With your support, we will protect our firefighters so they can continue to protect us.
For reference, this is the extractor:
MILNOR MODEL 30015 T6X 40LB WASHER EXTRACTOR WITH RINSAVE WATER CONSERVATION TECHNOLOGY
Hear it from the firefighters themselves - they appear near the end of this interesting talk: Sharyle Patton - Rising from the Ashes: Toxic Dangers of the Sonoma County Fires
*More information about the need for these extractors from a local expert Sharyle Patton:
"Firefighters can be exposed to hundreds of toxic chemicals on the fire ground, and the October fires were no exception, when firefighters were fighting fires in mobile home communities, hotels, hospitals, private homes, woodland fires, cars, vehicles, and commercial buildings. The combination of these kinds of fires creates a toxic soup that firefighters can carry back to the station residues on their turnout gear.
We need to help firefighters decontaminate their gear after a fire as thoroughly as possible, and this kind of cleaning requires special equipment as recommended by the International Association of Firefighters, and other professional organizations. Scientific studies indicate that special clothes washers, called extractors, can get the job done. Extractors can scrub away the toxic chemicals, many of which are carcinogens, or cancer-causing chemicals.
Cancer death rate among firefighters is 14% higher than cancer death rate for the general public, and firefighters have a 9% higher rate of being diagnosed with cancer than does the general public. More than 60% of deaths among firefighters are due to cancer. This has to stop. We need to do whatever we can to lower those rates and to make sure firefighters have what they need to avoid exposures to toxic chemicals.
We need to protect those who have dedicated their lives to protecting ours. We need to chip in now to buy them the extractor clothes washers that will stop the toxic exposures firefighters currently carry on their turn out gear. Dirty turnout gear is not just unsightly; dirty turnout gear is dangerous. Let’s help our firefighters be safe. Let’s buy them the right kind of equipment to clean their turnout gear."
Fundraising team: Firefighter's Support Network (2)
Julien Camp
Organizer
Sebastopol, CA
Irwin Keller
Team member
