2025 began with an onslaught of wildfires in California. Sending families into homelessness and firefighters into overtime, the world watched as California burned. With the extreme effort that was put into fighting these fires, fire departments had an even greater need for gear that was properly cleaned and maintained.    

That’s where Gear Wash stepped in to meet the needs of California firefighters. As the world’s largest Independent Service Provider (ISP) of PPE cleaning and maintenance, Gear Wash had the resources to quickly deal with the large amount of gear servicing needed in the wake of the fires. 

Katie Andrews, Regional Operations Manager of the Las Vegas Gear Wash location, says, there was an uptake of units reaching out to ISPs to service their gear. Many chose Gear Wash because of its ability to meet their needs and handle their gear with care. As Andrews explains, the Las Vegas facility received a surplus of gear to be cleaned and serviced—far surpassing their normal numbers. The employees of Gear Wash went into overdrive, working long days to ensure that the gear was finished in time to return to the firefighters. 

Though it meant extra work, Andrews says the team was proud and excited to meet the challenge. "My team here, they're really happy to support such a great, impactful mission. I've always set the tone that our main goal is to serve those who serve. That kind of bleeds down into my team and they really enjoy working for the cause of keeping firefighters healthy, clean, and safe.”  

That commitment to service spanned across departments, whether it was just a few sets of gear or hundreds. 

CAL Fire from Devils Garden needed only 39 turnouts serviced in March. However, a CAL Fire from Tehama-Glenn needed nearly 700 pieces of gear serviced between December 2024 and March 2025. And a similar unit from Shasta needed over 800 pieces cleaned between January and April of this year.  

Beyond turnouts, the team saw a massive increase in the number of accessories being shipped for cleaning. They were also able to accommodate special requests for additional records and information about the gear being cleaned and inspected.  

This was all on top of the normal load of gear cleaning, maintenance, and rentals the team manages. 

Andrews said the efforts were personal. “I have family in California. I know that some of my team members have family in California, friends in California. I was born in California. So, it was very devastating to see the fire. This job has always been important to me, but to see the impact that we could have to help the organization was really meaningful.”  

After the marathon of work she and her team completed, Andrews says she hopes other departments take the same initiative with their gear. “I think that just reiterating the importance of keeping your firefighters healthy, clean, and safe is so important. I think that I'd like to see more departments following the standard for cleanliness. So, ensuring that we are offering the best service across our organization is really important to Gear Wash.” 

In the end, Andrews and her team were able to provide excellent service to those on the front lines of California wildfires. With inspiring dedication and a great sense of pride, Gear Wash promises to stand by frontline heroes for years to come.