Properly Deconing Yourself at the Scene of a Fire
- Remove Wipes from packet and fully open to take advantage of the whole wipe. If both sides of the wipe become soiled during the process, use additional wipes as needed
- Start with your eyelids and external corners around your eyes. Action Wipes contain no alcohol or harmful chemicals to further irritate or harm your skin
- Clean your hands, lips and surrounding skin BEFORE hydrating. If you are thirsty and cannot wait to hydrate, be sure to clean your hands off before grabbing a beverage
- Your nose has a lot of blood vessels close to the skin that easily absorb contaminants. Clean inside and around the folds of your nose
- Be sure to get inside and around the back of your ears
- Get all around your neck and make sure you get all sides as well as under your shirt collar
- Wipe down your hair
- Use a clean side of the wipe to thoroughly clean your arms. Be sure to mop up the soot and debris and not just spread it around
- Clean your hands and be sure to get in-between your fingers and underneath any rings or bracelets
- Get as much of the debris out of your fingernails
- Underarms and groin are dense with hair follicles and very important to clean, since they can capture and hold debris
- Be sure to wipe down below your belt and into your groin to remove as much debris and contaminants as possible.
- Don’t forget to blow your nose and TAKE A SHOWER at your earliest opportunity
Do not forget, these can also be used to DECON Equipment before it is washed or that cannot be washed {ie. helmet, ear-flaps, SCBA, Portable Radio etc.}