Pasco Fire Rescue asks legislators for decontamination truck to reduce firefighter cancer risk

Pasco County Fire Rescue officials asked the delegation to support a capital appropriation for a specialized decontamination (decon) truck that would clean bunker gear and equipment on scene to reduce firefighters' exposure to carcinogens.

Why it matters: Firefighters cited cancer as a leading cause of line-of-duty death; staff said on-scene decontamination reduces contamination transfer to vehicles, stations and households and is a cost-effective alternative to supplying multiple complete sets of bunker gear.

Chief Glenn (identified in the presentation) said the county currently serves about 900 fire personnel through its decon program and that the new truck would replace and upgrade an existing box truck to provide on-scene washing of air packs, helmets and other equipment. "Keeping our men and women cancer free is part of our initiative," he said, listing complementary measures such as hot/warm/cold zones in stations and yearly occupational health screenings.

Commissioners and delegation members asked about coverage and fleet size. Staff said the county currently operates two vehicles in the decon program but that one vehicle lacks on-scene decontamination capabilities; the requested vehicle would be a replacement and an upgrade to increase on-scene capability and future capacity as the county grows. Staff also noted that impact fees and local sales tax revenues help fund public-safety capital needs and that the board recently adjusted fire-rescue impact-fee assessments to better capture development-related costs.

Ending: County staff said they will refine a funding request and the Board will prioritize the item during the formal legislative-priorities process; staff framed the ask as a health- and safety-focused capital request tied to firefighter cancer-prevention efforts.