How to Reduce Turnout Gear Drying Time!
March 13, 2026
What is the fastest, compliant dry time for bunker gear? 1 HOUR!
Achieving one-hour dry time depends on four critical factors:
1. Mechanical Extraction
2. Volume and direction of Airflow
3. Temperature of Airflow
4. Procedure
If your turnout gear is taking so long to dry that your firefighters are not washing it as often as they should, we can work with your department to cut down dry time!
1. Proper Extraction
The Most Overlooked Step in Turnout Gear Drying.
The last phase of a turnout gear wash cycle is the extraction spin. NFPA 1850 allows turnout gear to be put through a 100G extraction spin to eject as much water as possible before being dried. A jacket and pants of turnout gear that have not had a proper extraction spin can retain more than 4 cups of excess water!
That additional water can significantly increase dry time.
Why would an extractor not reach a full 100G spin?
Commercial extractors used in the fire service to wash turnout gear must balance the load before it can gear up to the high-speed extraction spin. If the machine is under loaded or over loaded, the extractor will be out of balance or unable to properly distribute the load. The extractor will not reach its full extraction spin, to prevent damage.
No full extraction spin, means more water retained, which means longer dry times.
Challenges with the inner liner!
Washing the inner liner of your turnout gear has a specific challenge due to the restrictive nature of the vapor barrier. If the liner "layers" or "folds over" itself or another set, it can trap water during the wash cycle. If the liner is still dripping wet after the wash cycle, you should:
- Give it a shake
- Put it, and all the pieces from the cycle back in the extractor.
- Run an "extraction spin only" cycle, that takes 7 minutes.
Those 7 minutes can remove up to 1/2 pound of water per piece, further reducing dry time!
2. Air Flow - Volume and Direction
A high volume of air flow is crucial to drying turnout gear in one hour, the more air you push, the faster your turnout gear will dry. Directing the airflow through the areas of the turnout gear that retain the most water, after the wash cycle is important to a one-hour dry time.
- Under arms
- Inseam of pants
- Jacket collar
- Wrist cuffs
Focus on the difficult areas and the easy ones will follow.
3. Air Temperature - New maximum
With the standards on turnout gear care being revised in Fall of 2025, you can now dry your turnout gear at 120ºF. This is especially helpful for departments that are in a humid region or have cold winters. Heated turnout gear dryers should have a temperature control to prevent damaging the glue that holds the seams of your vapor barrier together.
4. Procedure
Having a reliable, easily repeatable, procedure for drying your turnout gear is important to consistently achieve one hour dry times. The inner liner is challenging to dry. The design to prevent air flowing through the garment to keep firefighters safe during a fire, makes it a challenge to dry. Consider implementing these procedures to ensure you dry turnout gear as fast as you can.
- Inner liners are to be washed inside out, per NFPA 1850, but they must be flipped back to regular orientation before going on the dryer. The inner liner allows airflow to exit it from the inside out only, to prevent heat exhaustion while it is being worn. If you forget to flip it after the wash cycle, it will increase dry time.
- Dry gear separated, just as you wash it.
- Zipper jacket closed to restrict airflow.
- Ensure legs of pants and sleeves are pulled down.
- Keep out of UV light
