NFPA 1850 Brings New Clarity to Gear Cleaning
The 2026 edition of NFPA 1850 brings several important updates to how organizations maintain firefighting PPE, where some changes refine long-standing practices, while others add new details around pre-issue cleaning, wash temperature, water quality, cleaning validation and lithium-ion contamination.
The larger point is that cleaning is no longer just a wash-and-return process. Under NFPA 1850, cleaning is part of a larger PPE care program that supports firefighter health and gear performance.
NFPA 1850 (2026 edition) places greater emphasis on care and maintenance at each step in the gear life cycle, including who owns the process of keeping PPE ready for duty.
Contaminated gear can carry harmful substances back into the apparatus, the station and living areas, and without clear documentation, it becomes difficult to show which items were cleaned, when they were cleaned and how the process was performed. Many of the NFPA 1850 updates are designed to bring more structure and visibility to those aspects of PPE care, starting with clear ownership of each responsibility.
NFPA 1850 defines two key roles within the PPE maintenance program: the Personal Protective Clothing Manager and the Personal Protective Clothing Technician. The PPC Manager looks at the full program: policies, training, life-cycle management and contamination control. The PPC Technician is closer to the day-to-day work, helping manage cleaning schedules, inspections, repairs, documentation and tracking.
NFPA 1850 also continues to reinforce that issued PPE needs advanced cleaning at least once every six months, and any time it has been exposed to combustible materials. But several updates change how organizations should think about that process:
- First, organizations must now consider washing new gear before it is issued. Laundering PPE prior to issue can help remove manufacturing residues before garments go into service and may slightly improve thermal protective performance.
- Second, NFPA 1850 raises the maximum wash temperature limit from 105°F to 120°F, giving organizations and verified cleaning providers a little more room to enhance contaminant removal.
- Third, water hardness should stay below 60 ppm because hard water can make cleaning less effective, including when gear has been exposed to heavy metal contamination. Organizations also need to evaluate how wastewater from PPE cleaning is handled according to local, state and federal rules. NFPA 1850 provides two years from the effective date of the 2026 edition to implement any needed changes.
- Fourth, verified cleaning providers must demonstrate that their process can remove specific contaminants from PPE, and the standard now prohibits manual scrubbing of test sample fabrics during validation. The goal is to replicate how PPE is actually laundered in the field.
- Finally, NFPA 1850 now accounts for lithium-ion contamination in its decontamination decision trees. That gives organizations and PPE care providers more guidance when gear may have been exposed during battery-related incidents.
Routine gear inspections meanwhile have long been a firefighter responsibility, and NFPA 1850 continues to reinforce that expectation. But some parts of PPE care require a higher level of expertise. Advanced inspections should be performed by someone with documented training, such as a verified ISP, manufacturer-trained organization or element manufacturer. Every advanced cleaning, advanced inspection, repair and retirement decision must also be recorded so each garment has a clear history.
Ultimately, NFPA 1850 is about helping organizations keep gear ready for the next call while reducing avoidable risk for the firefighters who wear it.
Explore NFPA 1850 resources at GearWash.com.
