The Holiday Park Volunteer Fire Department recently completed an important health and safety upgrade to our facilities. In keeping with our department’s mission to prevent Cancer and related illnesses that occur in the Fire Service, we have installed a custom ventilation system designed to remove harmful gases & particles from the building caused by our fleet of vehicles.
The “Plymovent system” was obtained via a competitive grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance to Firefighters Program in 2019 but due to COVID-19’s impact installation took many months to get scheduled and finally completed at the end of 2020. Each of our six apparatus bay positions along with each vehicle has a dedicated ventilation system line, custom vehicle connection, and rolling frame to support collection of gases and particles.
As you can see in the photographs above & below; the Plymovent system connects to each of our fire department vehicles to collect what is released from their exhaust systems. The amount of discharge from large apparatus such as Pumpers and Ladder Trucks is significant and over time containments the surroundings. The hoses attached to a customized magnetic exhaust bracket on the vehicle that they ventilates the odors/particles through a filtration system mounted on the walls and then via exhaust fan safely outside. The product required extensive work in all six apparatus bays ranging from installing the rolling hose lines to large amounts of ventilation ducks.
When driver & crew depart the station’s apparatus bays in their assigned vehicle, the hose lines will detached from the vehicle when it reaches the end of its suspended rolling frame above. The magnetic bracket simply unclips from the tension; no need for the crew or driver to remove it before-hand. The system collects continues to suck it any particles or gases as the vehicle leaves.
This system is critical in our case, because items such as bunker gear, helmets, equipment were being exposed to these potentially harmful particles. Since our building also supports 24/7 access to staff; including living quarters and a social hall; the exposure reaches further out beyond the apparatus bays. Everyone who enter our facilities, whether they are staff, players for Bingo, guests of the Social Hall, or the general public; they can rest a little easier knowing the air they breathe in our building is being made safer.
Cancer is becoming the leading cause of occupational firefighter death in the United States. There is increasing research being done and more being learned about the risks of a firefighters developing certain types of Cancer. The numbers of firefighters developing Cancer over the public are staggering. Some studies suggest as much as 82% of individuals who have served as a firefighter will succumb from Cancer.
In January 2018, Holiday Park VFD Chief Jim Sims formed a four-man committee and together they had been researching, attending classes, and developing the C.A.A.P. (Cancer Awareness And Prevention) initiative. This initiative will require a new way of thinking and a change of many years of culture and attitudes not only in our department but also the fire service in general. The days of being covered in sot & dirt, and having your turnout gear dirty as badge of honor are over. Those contaminates are killing firefighters across the country; and in some cases putting their loved ones at risk too.
Holiday Park Volunteer Fire Department successfully launched the initiative on May 1, 2018 and this recent installation of Ventilation system is the next step in this on-going process.
Learn more about our Cancer Prevention Initiative: https://holidayparkvfd.org/cancer-awareness-and-prevention
Join our ranks: https://holidayparkvfd.org/volunteer-positions
Images of the System
You can see on 236-Engine that the system’s hose hangs from a sliding frame suspended from the ceiling to allow the driver to pull out and the system will automatically detached at the end of the frame.
Close up view of the magnetic bracket that secures itself to 236-Engine’s exhaust pipe.
236-Ladder Truck has its exhaust pipe attached to the Plymovent System.
The Plymovent Control Box mounted at the back of the apparatus bay for quick access and status checks.
As part of the installation process, new ventilation ducks had to be suspended from the building’s ceiling as well as drilled through related walls.
Here you can see the rolling frames that are suspended from apparatus bay ceiling from which the hose lines are attached too. Each of our six apparatus bays has its own dedicated system and line.
Wider view of the 236-Ladder Truck set-up from the top of this article.
