Fire-Dex Announces Gear Wash Is Now The Largest Bunker Gear Cleaning Company

Gear Wash is now the firefighting industry’s largest turnout gear cleaning and repair operation, having acquired Minerva Bunker Gear Cleaners and its six locations. The agreement, which closed on May 13, also marks the largest Gear Wash acquisition to date and greatly expands our company’s growing roster of service providers committed to first-class care for the equipment worn by firefighters.

“Minerva has been a leader in NFPA 1851 services—the industry standard for proper PPE care and maintenance—for over 16 years and has set a high bar for quality and responsiveness,” says Taylor Burke Gilman, President of Gear Wash.

Taylor Burke Gilman adds, “They serve hundreds of departments ranging from small volunteer outfits to large metros, including FDNY and Miami Dade Fire Rescue. We look forward to welcoming Minerva associates and their customers to the Fire-Dex family.”

Acquisition Details

Minerva Bunker Gear Cleaners will be rebranded Gear Wash, and Minerva associates will be retained in their current capacity. The acquisition is expected to create new positions within the Gear Wash ecosystem resulting from immediate growth opportunities, including PPE rental programs for departments with temporary needs.

Dirty bunker gear can pose health hazards and create unnecessary danger for the person wearing it including exposure to carcinogens. Gear Wash specializes in advanced cleaning, inspection, repair, alteration, and equipment customizations to keep protective ensembles in top condition and functioning as they should.

Expansion

Gear Wash encloses 11 locations and over 50,000 square feet of combined service space Since 2019, Gear Wash has grown to include locations in Milwaukee, Memphis, and Las Vegas as well as Hudson, Florida, and Pelham, Georgia. The Minerva acquisition adds New York City, Denver, Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, and Dayton, Ohio, to this nationwide network, offering fast turnaround for turnout gear maintained to NFPA 1851 standards.

Now encompassing 11 locations and over 50,000 square feet of combined service space, Gear Wash is the nation’s largest gear cleaning and repair company.

Maintaining quality for fire departments

“We are extremely committed to manufacturing and maintaining first-rate equipment,” says Steve Allison, CEO of Fire-Dex, Inc., adding “Materials, construction, cleaning and repair all go hand in hand when it comes to protecting firefighters from contaminants or accidents that can be the result of failure points in their gear.”

Gear Wash prides itself on being an international manufacturer of PPE for fire departments and training facilities as well as EMS and ambulance services, urban search and rescue teams, and armed military forces. Gear Wash helps these heroes maintain a higher level of gear cleanliness and quality with diligent compliance with current safety standards.