What is the worst thing that happens in a firehouse in terms of storing turnout gear?

The worst thing would be to store gear in such a way that it cannot air out after use when the protective fibers of coats and pants are damp from sweat or water. If firefighters come in wet and put the gear on a hook or lay them flat on something, you have a chance for mold and mildew to form, which promotes fiber deterioration. It can shorten the life of the protective fibers of your turnout gear. You don't want it on a hook or just draped over a regular hanger. There is the potential for problems if your gear can't get adequate airflow and if there isn't proper ventilation in the area.

How long does it take for these problems manifest?

It doesn't take very long for wet gear to form mold or mildew and interior degradation of the protective fibers to set in.

Are there any repeated mistakes when it comes to storing turnout gear?

Sometimes even if you give [firefighters] the proverbial better mousetrap, they will clutter the area with personal items that take up valuable space for airflow. Some departments don't have enough space for proper gear storage, and firefighters will use expanded metal lockers, like those found in schools. Although they are ventilated, they are not really open-air lockers. Instead, they have slots. The water collects on these lockers' flat metal surfaces. The surfaces will rust and the gear will stay damp, because when airflow is restricted the gear can't dry quick enough.

They need proper drying equipment as well as storage equipment. Probably the worst thing we see is when firefighters take wet gear and throw it on the rack rather than separating the liners from the coats and pants. You have to get them dry before you hang them back up.

What is the best way to store turnout gear?

Open-air storage, where there's a lot of ventilation, is the best way. Wet bunkers should be hung up before they are rolled back around the boots. And it is more than just coats and pants that need proper drying. Gloves need to be held in a way that they can open up and air out. The same is true for helmets. You need to have helmets held up by the suspension where the liners can air out. All personal protective equipment needs to be stored where it can get good ventilation.

What are the challenges to making this happen?

What we found years ago was that most of the turnout storage was hung on a hook on the wall in the apparatus bay. Gradually, departments began putting racks on the wall to get ventilation. This also got the gear out of the way and off the ground. In today's modern firehouses, there are more rooms specifically for turnout gear, hose storage, and SCBA bottles and that type of equipment. There's been a gradual change from the old firehouse to the new ones in how they store gear.

Is there a cost justification for improving storage?

A while back, several of the turnout companies provided us with testimonials. One had actually said that the use of good, open-air storage systems could improve the life of its protective fibers anywhere from six months to two years. We all know it can cost from $800 to $1,500 for a set of turnout gear. If departments can make gear last six months to two years longer, that's a big cost savings. The bigger the station, the bigger the gain will be for taking care of the gear.

What can departments with smaller or older stations do to improve turnout drying and storage?

Some of them are too small and it's really tough; it is hard unless you have room to expand or build. Usually the gear is hung in wooden cubbyholes, and that is tough when you have smaller space. They need to get rid of the closets, the wooden cubbyholes or the expanded metal lockers. They should use their available wall space, and then use mobile racks on wheels. Having an open-air storage rack will let the water dissipate better. This is the best solution, even if a station doesn't have enough racks for everybody. The department can keep some sets of gear — those that are dry or that belong to firefighters that don't respond very often — in a different area. That's the major thing: get them out of the cubbyholes and get them off the hooks and off the floors. This will improve the station's appearance when guests visit; it not only looks nicer but it smells better.

Does a station's ventilation system or its humidity control have any effect on drying turnout gear?

Oh, yes. It's important to have good ventilation. It helps with everything, even controlling the diesel soot and other carcinogens coming off the gear that was brought in from the fire situation. But that is not in our area of expertise.

What are the important things to consider regarding equipment storage when building a new station?

Make sure that there is ample storage for the need today, but also plan for the future. Leave extra space for growth. When it comes to fire department storage, there are several things to be careful with. As I said, the turnout area needs to be well-ventilated, open and have a lot of room for air movement. Also, there needs to be a lot of room for firefighters to grab their gear and respond.

When you are planning a new department, you have to know where you are going to store the hoses you have on hand and make sure the space is adequate. You will want secured storage for the SCBA bottles and the oxygen bottles. It is important to have something that you can transport the air cylinders from the fill center to the apparatus without having to carry them by hand.

How much extra space should a new station plan for?

That's a really hard question. You have to take a look at your community and what it is anticipating in terms of growth. You can only grow so much before you have to start looking at more fire stations. You might have to determine your communities projected growth and use a growth factor. Build it a little bigger than what you think you need today.

How do you determine how much storage space you need per firefighter?

When it comes to gear storage, the average in the industry is anywhere from 18 to 24 inches. There are racks out there that are 14.5 inches wide. That's OK for structure gear, but you don't want to go any narrower than that. The industry standard is 18 inches wide, so there are racks that are 18, 20 and 24 inches wide per compartment. You have to see what type of rack you like best and what type of configuration you want.

What should a department consider when choosing between mobile and wall-mounted turnout gear storage?

Most in the fire departments prefer to have wall-mounted storage that is off the ground and easy to clean under. Once your walls are full, you have no other choice but to find out what other available space you have to put in mobile or a free-standing unit. The apparatus bay or the gear room are possible locations. In addition to wall-mounted units, gear can be stored on mobile single-sided and mobile double-sided [units] where you can pull from both sides. That just depends on your available wall space and what you want to allocate to gear racks. We have two types of wall-mounted racks. Our original Ready Rack sits three inches off the wall, but it only brings it 21 inches out. Our newer rack fits closer to the wall but is the same depth.

How do you recommend drying and storing hose?

A lot of the old houses used hose towers. Today, a large number of communities want the firehouse to blend with the neighborhood, and this means the demise of the tall hose towers in those areas. We have a mobile hose dryer that is 80 inches long and 80 inches tall. It will hang more hose to dry than these expensive hose towers. Some of these brick-and-mortar hose towers cost $8,000 to $10,000 or more, and we're talking maybe $1,300 for a drying rack or $1,500 for mobile storage. When you are not drying hose on the mobile hose dryer, you can salvage covers, ropes, webbing or anything that is wet in the firehouse. It works with the turnout gear when it comes out of the extractor. A lot of companies are doing their own maintenance and cleansing. They put gear in an extractor to spin the water out, but it's still not dry. Hang it on this mobile hose tower and spread it apart so it dries quicker. Then all you need is an electric fan to blow gently on it and it will get the product dry quicker.

How does storing dive gear differ from turnout?

A lot of departments close to water will have a team for dive rescue. We have modified our racks to fit in trailers. Sometimes dive gear has to be secured, and we have doors for that. Your dive gear is pretty expensive and it needs to be stable and hung up in a good fashion. The rack is like a cage. The openings are less than three inches, so items can't be removed without unlocking the door. For those in a secured trailer, the doors aren't necessary.

What should departments consider regarding bottle storage?

There are several situations for that. There are mobile bottle racks that will hold from 16 to 42 cylinders at a time. You're going to find the 42-bottle racks at larger houses, and it will probably take two people to sufficiently move that rack. One person can easily move the smaller ones. These are typically good for safe storage in the station so the bottles are not laying around in a corner or a tripping hazard.

There's also a Safe T System, a cylinder-handling system that holds spare bottles. These come in a carrier system that locks into the apparatus or into a cart in the station. Firefighters can carry two bottles in one hand safely. We're talking about some high-pressure bottles here, and if a firefighter were to drop one and knock the valve off, it becomes a rocket. When they go to the scene, they can transfer these bottles four at a time or put them on a cart and take them 10 to 12 at a time to a staging area. A system that can hold four to six bottles costs less than $500. They are not really expensive in the scope of things. If you drop and damage one those low-profile, high-pressure bottles, it's $1,500 to replace and expensive to repair.

How popular are these carriers?