Purchase of a special machine designed to clean the heavy packs carried by Crozet firefighters is another step in the fire department’s journey to protect their health and safety. The machine, kind of like a small dishwasher, can thoroughly clean a couple of soiled packs in eight minutes or so, said Crozet Volunteer Fire Department Chief Gary Dillon.
“They’re really hard to scrub down completely by hand,” Dillon said. “They have a lot of hard-to-reach areas that can capture contaminants.”
Firefighter health and safety has gotten special attention from the local crew in the last few years, and it’s appropriate: firefighters have a 9 percent higher risk of a cancer diagnosis and a 14 percent higher risk of dying from cancer than the general population, according to the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety.
LifeScan wellness screenings are offered to County firefighters yearly in the winter months, and they each also get a skin check in May. A six-part fitness analysis examines strength, endurance, metabolism and flexibility as well as heart and pulmonary function under stress. It also makes personal exercise and nutrition recommendations, including more familiar tests to measure cholesterol, body fat, vision and hearing.
The CVFD always needs new members. The next volunteer interest meeting will be Tuesday, February 11, at 7:30 p.m. at the station.
