DEPEW, N.Y. (WKBW) — Depew Fire Chief Brian Musielak has served with the volunteer fire department for 33 years. He says he and his crew are exposed to toxins when they battle fires.
"Whether it be structure fires, dumpster fires, car fires, they have extremely high toxins in them that have carcinogens that cause cancer," said Chief Musielak.
Chief Musielak says their gear needs to be washed to get rid of those toxins they're exposed to, but the problem is their outdated washing equipment.
"The washer that we have currently at this station is from 1996. It's hard to find parts for every time it goes down and also, we don't have gear drives at this time," he said. "On average, it takes about 12 to 14 hours to dry a set of gear, air dry it."
Now the Depew Fire Department is being awarded nearly $33,000 to purchase newer washers and dryers, all thanks to federal funding.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Congressman Tim Kennedy and Assemblywoman Monica Wallace shared the exciting news with Chief Musielak and Mayor Kevin Peterson Monday afternoon. The volunteer fire department has more than 140 members, making it one the largest in Erie County.
"Firefighters like you already face extraordinary challenges and dangers in the work that you do every single day. The least that we could do is make sure that you're not being poisoned by your own equipment," said Senator Gillibrand.
"Having this industrial washer and dryer to clean the equipment properly will allow for that equipment not to have those toxins adhering to it," said Congressman Kennedy.
"Firefighters have an elevated risk of cancer over others. The last thing we want to see is for them to get sick as a result of it," said Assemblywoman Wallace. "We owe them the responsibility of providing them with the state-of-the-art equipment."
"These funds will definitely help keep our firefighters healthier, and also keep them ready to go for the next call by keeping their gear clean in a timely manner and ready to respond," said Chief Musielak.
He plans to purchase the equipment soon.
