NFPA 1850 Is Here: What Changed for Your Turnout-Gear Washer
If your department's gear washer was set up under the old "advanced cleaning once a year" rule, it is out of date. In 2025 NFPA consolidated NFPA 1851 (selection, care and maintenance of structural and proximity firefighting ensembles) and NFPA 1852 (open-circuit SCBA) into a single standard, NFPA 1850. Most of the laundry-room requirements had already tightened in the 2020 edition of 1851 and carry forward into 1850 — but plenty of New Jersey stations bought or programmed their extractor before 2020 and never revisited it.
This is the short version for the person responsible for the station's washer, dryer and cleaning log.
What the standard requires of the machine
| Requirement | What it means in the laundry room |
|---|---|
| Advanced cleaning at least twice every 12 months, and after any exposure to products of combustion | Twice the old minimum. A single-station department with 30 sets of gear now runs at least 60 advanced-cleaning loads a year before counting fires — machine uptime matters more than it used to. |
| Programmable front-load washer-extractor | Independent control of detergent formula, water level, water temperature and cycle time. Top-load washers, with or without an agitator, are not permitted for gear. |
| Extract capped at 100 G | Protects the moisture barrier and thermal liner. A general-purpose 200 G or 300 G commercial washer can only be used for gear if its fire formulas are programmed to the cap. |
| Wash-temperature ceiling | NFPA 1851 capped machine washing at 105°F. Fire cycles need verified temperature control, not a hot-water tap. |
| Dedicated machine | Turnout gear is not washed with station uniforms, bedding or towels. |
| Documentation | A cleaning record per ensemble — and routine cleaning of the extractor itself, which auditors increasingly ask to see. |
The standard governs the process, not the brand. No washer is "NFPA certified"; what matters is that the cycles are programmed to the limits and that you can show the records.
Three things to check this month
- Open the controller and look at the gear formulas. Fill temperature, water level and extract speed should be visible for each. If the machine has a single "heavy" cycle and nobody remembers programming it, it was not set up for gear.
- Count the loads. Sets of gear × 2, plus post-exposure cleanings. If that number does not fit comfortably in the machine's week, the room is undersized — or you need a second washer so a breakdown does not stop the program.
- Find the maintenance record. If the answer is "the guy who fixed it last time," you do not have one. NFPA 1850 expects the extractor to be cleaned and maintained on a documented schedule.
Can the washer you already own be made compliant?
Often, yes. Any UniMac or other commercial front-load washer-extractor with programmable controls and verifiable temperature and extract limits can have compliant turnout-gear formulas written into it — we do this as part of a preventive maintenance visit or a standalone programming call. Machines that cannot be made compliant: top loaders, and commercial washers without programmable controls. For those the answer is a dedicated gear washer, and the UniMac UCT Fire configuration (30, 40, 60 and 80 lb, 100 G extract, fire cycles pre-programmed) is what we specify for most single-station rooms.
The dryer side
NFPA 1850 also governs drying — gear is air-dried or dried in a cabinet within a temperature limit, never in a hot tumble dryer. The UniMac UTGC drying cabinet holds six full sets plus 15 boot and glove holders per load, with programmable cycles and a 100–150°F variable range set to your limits. And the station's regular tumble dryer, the one doing bedding and towels, deserves its own line in the maintenance plan: NFPA attributes about one in three dryer fires to a failure to clean.
Free Station Laundry Safety Inspection
Through the fall we are offering New Jersey, NYC, Rockland County and eastern PA fire departments a free inspection of the gear washer, station dryer and exhaust duct, including a check of the programmed NFPA 1850 cycles, with a written report. No cost, no contract. Details and booking here, or call (732) 681-0500 and mention WILDWOOD.
Sources: NFPA 1850 (2025 edition) and NFPA 1851 (2020 edition); NFPA Research, "Home Dryer Fires" (June 2020). Requirements summarized for equipment planning — the standard itself governs.