According to The North American Fire Services: WDD is the Dryer of Choice
The duty of a firefighter is to save lives, protect property and the environment. Ultimately, they’re faced with dangerous situations due to major hazards they encounter such as: smoke, oxygen deficient atmospheres, elevated temperatures and toxic atmospheres. Specialized gear helps protect firefighters from such hazards.
A firefighter’s personal protective equipment includes the following:
• Turnout Gear
• Boots and Gloves
• Helmets
• Survival Suits or Dry suits for cold water rescue.
Turnout gear or “Bunker Gear” are terms that refer to the firefighter’s standard uniform, which helps protect them from major hazards. There are 3 components required for all turnout clothing: an outer shell, a moisture barrier, and a thermal barrier. The components are thermal resistant materials that are specifically designed to protect the wearer in high temperatures.
Williams Direct Dryers, designs, manufacturers and sells drying systems, with the fire service in mind. These dryers are non-tumble style, direct drying systems that can safely dry turnout gear. As with any specialized, high performance material, turnout gear demands a drying system that can maintain the integrity of garments without causing damage.
Benefits of using a WDD PPE drying system:
▪ Improves the overall thermal stability of duty gear
▪ Extends the life of turnout gear
▪ Reduces the potential adverse health effects of wet or just damp gear
▪ Reduces material damage caused by bacteria and mildew in wet or damp turnout gear
*A washer/extractor can be incorporated as part of the cleaning stage prior to using a Williams Direct Drying system.
North America wide, Williams Direct Dryers (WDD) is the dryer of choice in the fire service with accreditations of globe turnout gear and Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter 1 – In addition, WDD only produces NFPA compliant dryers.
All of WDD are developed in conjunction with the NFPA 1851- the standard on firefighter turnout gear (PPE, bunker gear, fire gear); the toughest drying standard in the world for the fire service.