New Raleigh fire truck helps fight fires, the cancer-causing chemicals they cause
Raleigh firefighters are adding a new truck to their fleet to help protect them from cancer-causing soot that can cling to skin and gear.
Rehab 12 has several features to help protect firefighters, including a handwashing station. Battalion Chief Keith Wilder said it is ready to use as soon as an emergency arises.
Specifically, Wilder said the Rehab 12 would roll out for fires at the two-alarm or greater level, or at the request of the division chief.
“I’m so happy to see that vehicle because someone is here to take care of me,” Wilder said.
The truck cost the city about $260,000.
Cancer-causing carcinogens are the No. 1 killers of firefighters. It’s an issue WRAL News has covered over the years.
Raleigh Fire Chief Herbert Griffin pushed for the Raleigh Fire Department to get Rehab 12 after having a similar truck during the 13 years he spent with the Houston Fire Department.
Wilder says a more thorough decontamination eliminates roughly 85% of the toxins, but the sinks can reduce that by even more.
“We're not going to be able to stop doing our jobs,” Wilder said. “We've just got to learn to work smarter and how we do it to reduce that risk.”
Raleigh firefighters that WRAL News spoke with said Rehab 12 will serve as an oasis. It has coffee machines, a microwave, a cooler stocked with water, a freezer, ice and other nonperishable snacks. It also has a table and folding chairs.
Outside of Rehab 12, there is an awning to provide shade. It also has a bathroom at the back of the truck. It has two sinks – outside and in the restroom – that firefighters can use to scrub their hands and face.
“We've got to be able to help them rehab in a way that when they leave that incident, they're ready to treat the next incident with the same amount of energy and to provide for those citizens in the same way they provided for the ones that the initial incident, and this truck is going to allow us to do that,” Wilder said.
Griffin said Rehab 12 is the first truck of its kind in the Raleigh Fire Department and in the state of North Carolina. The plan is to park the truck at Raleigh Fire Station 12 at 4306 Poole Road.
Wilder said Rehab 12 is a city asset and can help other agencies. For example, Raleigh Water can use it when there is a water main break to fix.
