Mobile Tool Helps Firefighters Ensure Their Gear Stays Safe

Fighting fires has always been a dangerous profession, but the nature of the danger has changed over the decades.

Fires today burn materials with more petroleum products, which produces a byproduct that is known to cause cancer. Firefighters need to clean their gear after use and make sure that the gear has not gone past its life expectancy.

A new tool from Vector Solutions helps fire departments or agencies keep track of firefighter personal protective equipment and ensure that it’s up to date on cleaning and not past its life expectancy, and that it meets National Fire Protection Association standards.

Vector Check It allows firefighters to use a mobile device to streamline and track checks and inspections, management of equipment and inventory from purchase through the life of the products. This means departments can ensure firefighters’ equipment is being cared for properly and that firefighters are being protected from dangerous chemicals.

“Our biggest organ is our skin, and when it’s hot, the pores are open and we’re accepting all these chemicals,” said former firefighter and Solutions Engineer for Vector Solutions Robbi King. “We want to make sure our gear is clean, so after an event is over we’re removing those carcinogens from the gear and not reapplying it later.”

Las Vegas Fire and Rescue (LVFR) consists of 22 rescue, truck and specialty units, providing fire suppression, prevention and education programs to more than 250,000 Las Vegas residents and more than 40 million annual visitors.

Before they began using Vector Check It, there wasn’t an easy way to keep track of all the units, engines, trucks and gear used in the course of keeping people safe. “It was impossible to track our out-of-service unit time before we implemented Check It,” said Eric Moon, administrative battalion chief of support services.

“Now we have a history to show maintenance costs and how often reserve engines are going out to help justify new ones,” Moon said.

LVFR, for a time, was being inspected by the city auditor every three months to make sure it was up to date with its gear, Moon said. “Now we have accurate, real-time documentation on all our assets, inventory and maintenance status. We can track what gear is on which apparatus, when items were ordered and received, and who authorized them.”

The tool helps keep track of annual inspections and issues reminders when those are due. A firefighter can look up those inspections dates via their mobile device or department-provided device to make sure their equipment is being cared for properly.