This article contains paid for content produced in collaboration with Blackline Safety
A recent solution for carbon monoxide monitoring demonstrates significant safety, data and productivity gains, according to Blackline Safety, a gas detection specialist. The company’s G6 monitors were deployed by Redline Gear Cleaning, an innovative firm that cleans and decontaminates firefighting gear, to provide a system for protecting workers in mobile units from the risks of carbon monoxide, as Blackline explains.
Firefighting gear is exposed to harmful contaminants—carcinogenic chemicals from smoke, biological hazards like blood and pathogens, and physical debris from fire scenes. If gear is not properly cleaned, this contamination can lead to severe health risks for firefighters who wear it, including cancer and infectious diseases.
Redline Gear Cleaning provides a vital solution, ensuring firefighting gear is thoroughly cleaned and decontaminated. Working in Mobile Extraction Units® (MEUs), Redline operates on-site at fire stations and bases across 17 US states, employing advanced extractors, dryers, and specialized equipment to remove dangerous substances without damaging gear.
These MEUs rely on propane-powered tumble dryers and water heaters, but low propane levels can lead to carbon monoxide (CO) emissions, putting workers at risk. To protect its crews and enhance emergency response capabilities, Redline needed a reliable system for CO monitoring and MEU location tracking.
Redline approached Blackline distributor Becker First Responder Co, who recommended Blackline Safety’s cloud-connected G6 single-gas monitors for CO detection.
G6’s were installed in all 11 of Redline Gear Cleaning’s MEUs. Cloud-connected to the Blackline Live software platform, Redline is now able to remotely monitor gas levels inside each unit. Real-time high and low-gas alerts sent directly by text to monitoring personnel deliver an additional layer of protection.
The location technology inside the G6 units also gives Redline instant visibility during a gas event—through the live map view on Blackline Live—into where exactly each MEU is stationed, expediting incident response if needed.
The approach taken to CO monitoring realises a number of safety, data and productivity benefits. Cleaning crews are now safeguarded from exposure to CO. Plus, the MEUs are now connected across the country through the Blackline Live platform where CO levels can be remotely monitored.
Through Blackline Live, Redline can also easily gather insights into crew locations during a gas event, offering instant visibility and optimising responses in case of emergency.
There have also been important productivity gains. CO levels serve as an early indicator of when propane tanks need to be refilled (propane tanks emit more CO when they approach low or empty). With this information, propane can be refilled in a timely and optimal manner (for example, between jobs and not mid-job) to reduce operational downtime and ensure the tumble dryers and water heaters can function properly.
