Decontex Services
Fully Managed Service
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DECONTEX Applications
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DECONTEX Centers
DECONTEX services are available to firefighters and other first responders across 24 countries, with rapid activation through a simple request via the DECONTEX website or mobile app.
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The toxins in your gear
During fire interventions, firefighter gear is exposed to very high concentrations of carcinogenic compounds such as PAHs and VOCs. Studies show that fire turnout gear can retain contaminant levels up to 15 times above regulatory limits for professional textiles. (Advanced) Cleaning technologies are unable to remove these substances effectively. This highlights the need for effective and verified decontamination to reduce long-term exposure risks.
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) highlights the risk of secondary exposure, where hazardous substances enter the body through insufficiently decontaminated gear.
IARC
The IARC shows that toxic compounds stored in textile membranes can be released during wear, absorbed through the skin, and enter the bloodstream, contributing to internal exposure.
ECHA
The ECHA highlights that modern materials such as composites, advanced insulation, and lithium-ion batteries increase significantly the complexity and hazardous nature of fire smoke compared to traditional materials.
NIOSH
The NIOSH recommends implementing best-practice controls to reduce firefighters’ exposure to carcinogenic substances and minimize long-term cancer risk.
Fully Managed PPE Decontamination Solution
DECONTEX Service is a fully managed decontamination service and total solution for the secondary exposure problem, combining advanced CO2-based technology with controlled, validated processes to remove toxic contaminants from all PPE after use.10 Steps to a Complete Certified Maintenance Cycle
The 10-step maintenance process of DECONTEX rapidly restores firefighting PPE to fully operational condition through a complete protective reset and advanced decontamination treatment.
The process also includes certified annual maintenance and inspection in accordance with ISO 23616, ensuring maximum safety, hygiene, compliance, and long-term performance of the equipment.
Step 1: Fast Transport
Fast and fully traceable transport solution ensuring rapid turnaround : max. 1week
Step 10: Packing & Logbook
Sustainable packaging with individual component allocation per user, combined with QR and RFID-enabled scanning for seamless digital logbook integration and full PPE traceability.
Step 9: Attestation
Professional attestation through a clear colour-coded system, indicating PPE status as GREEN (“checked and ready for use”), ORANGE (“action required”) or RED (“rejected – replacement required”).
Step 8: Certified Repair
Professional PPE repairs are performed by certified specialists using only equivalent high-quality replacement components, with all repair operations carried out exclusively within the European Union.
Step 7: Advanced Quality Control
Advanced optical and analytical quality control ensures that all PPE is thoroughly inspected and verified for full compliance with applicable safety and performance standards.
Step 6: Re-impregnation
Step 5: Disinfection
Step 4: Deep Decontamination
Step 3: Advanced Cleaning
Advanced stain and soil removal effectively eliminates visible and macroscopic contamination without any negative impact on the integrity or performance of the PPE.
Step 2: RFID Scan & Inspection
Advanced RFID scanning and inspection ensure full traceability, automated identification, and precise condition monitoring throughout the entire PPE maintenance cycle.
Full Gear Decontamination Service
DECONTEX provides a comprehensive service for the decontamination of all PPE used during emergency interventions. The process is designed to treat the complete equipment set as a single contamination system, ensuring effective removal of hazardous residues across all protective layers after exposure.
Why washing isn’t enough
Washing is a surface cleaning process that removes visible dirt and general soiling, while decontamination is a validated process designed to eliminate hazardous chemical, biological, and toxic residues across all PPE layers, including embedded contaminants that standard washing cannot remove.
Decontex Dual Action
Decontex is unique in its ability to deliver complete decontamination of firefighting PPE, ensuring the full removal of both visible and invisible contamination, including polar and non-polar substances across all material layers.
This unmatched dual-action cleaning capability guarantees a truly comprehensive reset of PPE performance, restoring safety, hygiene, and material integrity to the highest possible standard.
Decontex Guarantees
Decontex Services guarantees a fully standardized and validated end-to-end process for firefighting PPE, ensuring consistent, repeatable, and reliable results during every treatment cycle.
Operating under strict ISO-controlled procedures, including ISO 9001 quality management principles and ISO 23616 verified maintenance processes, the service also complies with EN ISO 14001 environmental management and EN ISO 50001 energy management standards. Decontex therefore guarantees the same highest standard in safety, hygiene, traceability, environmental responsibility, and performance — every single time.
DECONTEX guarantees the complete removal of chemical, biological, and physical contaminants from all gear layers, restoring PPE to a verified clean and safe condition below REACH and OEKO-TEX thresholds.
DECONTEX ensures maximum PPE safety through advanced analytical quality control and certified inspection procedures, guaranteeing that every garment remains compliant, fully functional, and safe for operational use.
DECONTEX guarantees a low-impact maintenance and decontamination process that fully preserves the integrity and protective performance of firefighting PPE, while delivering a proven extension of equipment lifetime and reduced total cost of ownership.
DECONTEX guarantees an environmentally responsible decontamination process through advanced green CO2 technology, featuring low-energy operation, waterless processing, minimal chemical consumption, 99% reusable CO2, zero contaminated wastewater, and a completely PFAS-free treatment approach.
DECONTEX is committed to protecting not only firefighters, but also every employee involved in the PPE maintenance process. To prevent hazardous contamination from being transferred to laundry and service personnel, all critical handling and decontamination activities are performed under controlled ISO 7 cleanroom conditions, ensuring maximum worker protection and responsible operational standards throughout the entire process.
Request a visit
Firefighters are always warmly invited to visit one of Decontex Services’s ISO-controlled cleanrooms. During the visit, they can experience the full CO2-based decontamination process for firefighting PPE, from intake and inspection to cleaning, repair, and final quality control. The facility operates under strict standards, ensuring full transparency, safety, and traceability throughout the entire lifecycle of the equipment.What they say
DECONTEX helps fire departments maintain the highest safety standards through advanced decontamination of firefighter PPE and equipment. Their innovative supercritical CO2 cleaning technology removes hazardous contaminants while extending the lifespan of protective gear in a sustainable and circular way.Decontex was chosen under a European Framework as partner due to its qualitative, sustainable and affordably priced services offering
What makes Decontex unique as a partner is the combination of innovation, reliability, and shared commitment to safety, sustainability, and customer success.
The Decontex model gives us access to truly differentiated technology, backed by strong operational support, validated performance, and a clear vision for the future of PPE decontamination.
Partnering with Decontex means working with a company that combines technological excellence with a highly professional and transparent approach to long-term collaboration.
The CO₂ decontamination process is transparent, professional, and built around firefighter safety.
We finally see a process that removes hazardous contamination while fully preserving the performance of our gear.
Decontex centers
Protecting firefighters across the globe. Click a pin to view location details. In case there is no center, contact Decontex Headquarters.
- info@decontex.com
- Decontex Holding NV, O-Forty Business Park Building B-3, 8020 Oostkamp, Belgium