BY SARAH BARBAN, Eastern Shore Post
The Onancock Volunteer Fire Department requested $35,000 from the town to pay for an extractor and a dryer that would allow firefighters to wash their gear at the station between fires.
This would help fire crews be prepared for multiple incidents in one night and could also help reduce cancer risk for firefighters and their families.
The funding request was made during a Monday, Feb. 24, town council meeting when Chief Michael Rydberg made the department’s annual presentation to the town council. The $35,000 appropriation would be in addition to the funds the town provides the fire department.
Firefighters have a 9% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer than the general population and in 2023, 72% of line of duty deaths for firefighters were from occupational cancer, Rydberg said.
“These folks that came up as volunteers, they’re doing that with no compensation, to help the citizens of our community for free essentially,” he said.
What can help firefighters to offset that risk is washing and decontaminating their gear without tracking carcinogens into the firehouse or taking contaminated materials home.
The fire department provides decontamination materials to firefighters on scene, including an option that lets firefighters take off their gear and place it in a bag to prevent contamination, but that doesn’t work for everyone, Rydberg said.
“Unfortunately, with the cost of things and the amount of time it takes to get new turnout gear, not many folks on the Eastern Shore have a second set of gear to wear,” he said. “So if I come home from a fire and my gear is soaking wet, I don’t have anything to change into in case another fire comes out.”
Gear can be taken to the Eastern Shore Regional Fire Training Center in Melfa for cleaning, but that comes with its own challenges.
“The problem is trying to transport gear to other places takes it out of service,” Rydberg said. “It is often also backlogged.”
The best thing is for firefighters is to be able to wash their own gear and get it back together as quickly as possible, he said.
The extractor is designed to remove the soot and other chemicals from the firefighting gear and the dryer is specially designed to handle fire equipment, Rydberg said.
Several residents made public comment in support of the fire department’s request.
“I think the safety of our residents should take priority over everything,” said Priscilla Hart. “It’s nice to have signage, it’s nice to have murals, but these are the people putting their lives on the line.”
Councilmember Maphis Oswald asked about additional carcinogen exposure from truck fumes in the firehouse bay.
An exhaust system is in place, but the ceilings are so tall the exhaust isn’t very effective, but without a renovation there isn’t much that can be done, Rydberg said.
The Onancock Volunteer Fire Department is looking into expanding the firehouse with a building addition. The project had an anticipated price tag of about $4 million.
“We want to ensure we have the most qualified and capable providers anywhere, specifically on the Eastern Shore, to provide what you need,” Rydberg said.
