The most common cause of death among firefighters is the consequences of cancer. Several studies have come to this conclusion, and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAF) has also repeatedly addressed this issue in articles. The reason is that firefighters are increasingly exposed to carcinogenic substances from fires. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the USA also confirmed this. The most important preventive measure is to raise the awareness among firefighters themselves – and to decontaminate their equipment. Riccardo Favara is Global Head of Personal Protective Equipment Division at the German machine builder Meiko. He and his team drive research and development for both technical solutions and the creation of robust processes for cleaning and disinfecting respiratory equipment. In the interview, he talks about the matrix of soiling, decontamination and safety.
Question:
The issue of "fire cancer", the increased likelihood of cancer among firefighters, is breaking out internationally. Why is this only becoming relevant now?
Riccardo Favara:
At this point, I would like to quote Marcus Bätge, who founded "FeuerKrebs", the German society for the promotion and sustainable improvement of the health and working conditions of firefighters: "Fire has become more toxic and carcinogenic over the years, the dirt on our clothing and equipment is not normal dirt." Nowadays, loads of plastics are used in the construction of houses and furniture. When these plastics burn, firefighters are exposed to incredibly toxic substances that we hadn't even thought of 50 years ago.
Question:
So does this mean that those involved in cleaning need to know the ins and outs of dirt?
Riccardo Favara:
Exactly. At Meiko, we have been working on the soiling matrix for years and, of course, we work on how objects can be properly cleaned and hygienically prepared. In the area of cleaning personal protective equipment, we benefit from Meiko knowledge on the reprocessing of medical devices. Microbes, germs, the effect of chemicals, but also of mechanical forces and, last but not least, the importance of water are essential factors for us as machine builders to produce the results that our customers require.
Question:
Meiko has been developing equipment for cleaning and disinfection for almost 100 years. For a little more than ten years, your company has been dedicated to the reprocessing of respiratory protective equipment. What has changed during this time?
Riccardo Favara:
An exceptional amount! With our international customers, we see that the topic of decontamination is rapidly gaining relevance. This term is mainly scientific, but it is increasingly penetrating the consciousness of firefighters themselves and also of professional organisations such as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the USA and Canada. In Germany, it is the DGUV, the "Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung" (German Social Accident Insurance), that is addressing the issue. It has also already published a catalogue of measures for decontamination carry-over. And this is exactly where Meiko products fit in.
Question:
Meiko has fundamentally changed the process in the respiratory protective equipment workshop for many respiratory protective equipment technicians with its TopClean M cleaning and disinfection appliance...
Riccardo Favara:
Because, with our technology, we enable a valid machine process that replaces manual cleaning. We have now sold more than 1000 appliances in Germany. This means that almost 1,000 respiratory protective equipment technicians themselves can work more safely and their comrades in action can be very, very sure of using hygienically sound respiratory protection technology. What we have not covered so far was the pre-cleaning process step. We have changed this now.
Question:
What is the Meiko solution for the previous manual pre-cleaning?
Riccardo Favara:
With TopClean D, we have developed an appliance for mechanical pre-cleaning that is used when there is visible soiling. This machine is a real powerhouse that ensures that dirt is removed mechanically. A fire service that made itself available for a test position today also puts its jet pipes in there for cleaning or its torches or the straps for the radios. But let's stay with the mask. If it is contaminated with soot, the first goal is: don't let any of it carry over into the inside of the mask. This sometimes happens during manual cleaning.
Question:
Soot is a hydrophobic substance. It cannot really be treated with water. How do you solve this problem?
Riccardo Favara:
This is indeed the challenge we face with mechanical force. We were inspired here by our experience in the Meiko medical technology sector. If you need to remove non-thermolabile spores of pathogens from care utensils, a combination of water and pressure is required. We can do this. And that is also the know-how that is in the TopClean D. We have combined it with a new Meiko patent: we clean respirator masks by fixing them on specially developed "heads". This way we avoid carrying over particles.
Question:
Meiko has made a name for itself with the most innovative respiratory protective equipment workshop imaginable. What is the drive?
Riccardo Favara:
We worked with the fire service in Offenburg, Meiko's headquarters, for this prestigious project. The Offenburg fire service grew more and more into a fire service technical centre and looks after a pool of 700 masks, 320 regulators and 180 breathing protection devices. Our specialists have planned a respiratory protective equipment workshop that also integrates a hose workshop and laundry. We have shown that we can handle the entire process, from the delivery of contaminated equipment in crates, to unpacking them on a perforated table with suction equipment, to pre-cleaning, disinfection and packaging. The result is a neatly separated black and white area, including consideration of ergonomic aspects – and a very satisfied team of respiratory protective equipment technicians.
Interested parties can find out more about the Offenburg fire brigade project and the planning and equipping of other respiratory protection workshops in fire brigades, fire brigade technical centres and in industrial companies at the MEIKO stand at Interschutz from 20-25 June 2022.
Source: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/newsroom/feature/firefighter-cancer-awareness.html
