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Do Firehouses Need Washing Machines?

In an effort to reduce carcinogen exposure, Kathy Crosby-Bell wants washing machines added to Boston firehouses.

The grieving mother of deceased firefighter Michael Kennedy, who perished in a Back Bay inferno earlier this year, urged city councilors Monday to support a simple method she said would curb cancer in the Boston Fire Department: Equip each firehouse with a commercial washing machine.

Kathy Crosby-Bell said a washing machine at each of the city’s 34 firehouses would allow firefighters to quickly clean their gear after a blaze and remove dangerous carcinogens stuck to clothing, curbing the risk of getting the disease.

Currently, firefighters bag their gear and send it to headquarters for periodic cleaning, a process Crosby-Bell calls “cumbersome, inadequate, and outdated.” A machine in every firehouse would mean firefighters can clean their gear every week, Crosby-Bell and fire authorities said.

“This major health threat deserves urgent action on all our parts,’’ Crosby-Bell said at the hearing.

Daniel Luzer is GOVERNING's news editor.
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