Twan Harte Fire Department Receives Infrared Sauna

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Twain Harte, CA–  In November 2022, the Twain Harte Fire Department(THFD) Received an anonymous donation of an infrared sauna as part of the department’s new Post Incident Decontamination Program. THFD has implemented improvements to help offset the dangers of fighting fires and carcinogen exposure. Some of those improvements have been implementing fire hoods that help protect areas around the head, neck, and face. They have also issued carcinogen-absorbing style wipers that the Firefighters use after responding to a fire.

And the most recent component of the decontamination program was the donated infrared sauna. The infrared sauna heats the body from the inside out, causing firefighters to sweat while detoxing the body of carcinogens and trace heavy metals. This has been shown to improve Cardiovascular Health, Blood pressure, Heart Health, Stress, Cortisol Levels Muscle and Joint Pain, and improves Immune Systems. The department’s Post Incident Decontamination policy and Cancer Prevention program were put in place by Fire Chief Neil Gamez after Twain Harte Fire Department Captain Paul Waite passed away from occupational cancer in 2016. Fire Chief Gamez explains the importance of the program.

“I want to ensure I am doing everything I can to keep up on the trends when it comes to health and safety for our department members, giving them the tools to prolong their life after retirement. I am very happy we were able to acquire this tool to better promote health and wellness within our department.”