The Pasadena Fire Department is expected to acquire special smoke detoxification units and sauna units to help firefighters get rid of any toxins they’re exposed to on the job.
The new equipment is set to go to each fire station and their training center. KNX News’ Jon Baird reported they’re getting the equipment because of all the bad chemicals that were inside the homes that burned during last year’s Eaton Fire.
“We had to put ourselves right in the way of the advancing fire front, and subsequently we ate a lot of smoke,” Pasadena Fire Captain Dave Marquez said. “I noticed really quick that, you know, it was hitting us all hard.”
He and other firefighters took part in studies and programs after the Eaton Fire. Through that, he found out his body contained unsafe levels of heavy metal.
“I was in the top 1% of what's considered a permissible exposure limit, so some pretty rough numbers,” Marquez said.
He also found that sweating in a sauna caused significant drops in the heavy metals, so that’s why they want to move forward with these new detox units.
“We talk about them in terms of their ability to get the bad stuff out of you,” he said.
The department is planning to get these units installed at fire departments as soon as possible.
