Fire department receives new protective equipment thanks to grant

Longboat Key Fire Rescue’s wardrobe just got beefed up.

In the closet are 35 new sets of fire armor gloves, ear and neck protector hoods. The new bunker gear was funded by a $7,976.29 Florida Firefighter Cancer Decontamination Grant. The second set of gear gives firefighters who are constantly on call an opportunity to wash their gear to remove it of contaminants that have the potential to cause cancer.

“Smoke has carcinogens and carcinogens are cancer-causing agents. So we want to clean that to remove those contaminants,” Longboat Key Fire Rescue Chief Paul Dezzi said. “With a second set of gear, that allows us to clean that equipment without having a down time.”

Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia presented checks to several area fire departments this April in Lakewood Ranch, including $12,248.25 to East Manatee Fire Rescue for a Speed Queen washing machine and the grant to LKFR.

Ingoglia noted that fighting fires today is much different than fighting fire 30 or 40 years ago. For the most part, structures were built of wood and concrete. Now, chemicals, petrochemicals and plastics are burning inside the structures, too, creating a multitude of carcinogens.

“That’s why we’re seeing firefighters with a higher rate of certain types of cancer,” Ingoglia said. “We need to recognize that.”

Dezzi said the department now has two full sets of gloves and ear and neck protector hoods and is working to purchase more coats and bunker pants to complete the set.

“This past year, the budget we are in right now we bought one third of the firemen their gear,” Dezzi said. “This coming year we will purchase another set for the guys.”

Reporter Lesley Dwyer contributed to this story.