PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

1. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

2. OBJECTIVE • Without reference, identify basic facts about personal protective clothing with an overall minimum of 70% accuracy.

3. Full protective equipment for structural fighting:

4. Helmet • Protects the head, face, and eyes from: • Impact injuries. • Puncture injuries. • Scalding water.

5. Protective Hood • Protects portions of the firefighter’s face, ears, and neck not covered by the helmet or coat from exposure to extreme heat.

6. Protective Coat and Trousers • Protects trunk and limbs from: • Cuts. • Abrasions. • Burn injuries (resulting from radiant heat). • Provide limited protection from corrosive liquids.

7. Gloves • Protects the hands from: • Cuts. • Wounds. • Punctures. • Burn injuries.

8. Safety Shoes or Boots • Protect the feet from: • Burn injuries. • Puncture injuries

9. Eye Protection • Protects the wearer’s eyes from flying solid particles or liquids.

10. Hearing Protection • Limits noise-induced damage to the firefighter's ears when loud noises cannot be avoided.

11. Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) • Protects the face and lungs from toxic smoke and products of combustion.

12. Personal Alert Safety System (PASS) • Provides life-safety protection by emitting a loud shriek if the firefighter should collapse or remains motionless for approximately 30 seconds.

13. Personal Protective Equipment • NFPA 1971, Standard on Protective Ensemble for Structural Fire Fighting. • Includes coats, trousers, coveralls, helmets, gloves, footwear, and interface components (protective hoods and wristlets).

14. NFPA 1971 • All components must have an appropriate product label permanently and conspicuously attached. • The label contains the following information:

15. "THIS … MEETS THE … REQUIREMENTS OF NFPA 1971, STANDARD ON PROTECTIVE ENSEMBLE FOR STRUCTURAL FIRE FIGHTING, 1997 EDITION." • Manufacturer's name, identification, or designation. • Manufacturer's address. • Country of manufacture. • Manufacturer's identification number or lot number or serial number. • Month and year of manufacture (not coded). • Model name, number, or design. • Size or size range. • Garment materials (coats, trousers, coveralls, hoods). • Footwear size and width (boots). • Cleaning precautions.

16. NFPA 1971 • All equipment should meet current applicable standards. • Firefighters must: • Understand the design and purpose of various types of protective clothing. • Be aware of each garments inherent limitations.

17. Helmets • Older helmets • Traditional function was to shed water, not protect from heat, cold, or impact. • Wide brim was designed to prevent hot water and embers from reaching the ears and neck.

18. Newer Helmets • Perform these functions as well as: • Protect the head from impact. • Provide protection from heat and cold. • Provide faceshields for secondary protection of face and eyes when SCBA is not required.

19. Newer Helmets • Must have: • Ear covers - should always be used during fire fighting. • Chin straps - to ensure helmet stays in place upon impact. • Faceshields • Attach to the helmet. • Most flip up and out of the field of vision. • Most assemblies don't interfere with protective breathing equipment.

20. Eye Protection • Eye injuries • One of the most common injuries on the fireground. • Not always reported. • Can be serious but are fairly easy to prevent.

21. Eye Protection • Comes in many forms: • Safety glasses. • Safety goggles. • Helmet faceshields. • SCBA masks.

22. Eye Protection • NFPA 1500 requires goggles or other appropriate primary eye protection to be worn when participating in operations involving flying particles or chemical splashes.

23. Eye Protection • Situations where eye protection (other than helmet faceshields or SCBA masks) is needed include: • Fireground and station operations • Welding. • Grinding. • Cutting. • Vehicle extrications. • Brush fires. • Inspections in industrial occupancies.

24. Eye Protection • Safety Glasses and Goggles • Protect against 85% of all eye hazards. • Several styles available. • Prescription safety eyeglasses should have frames and lenses that meet ANSI Standard Z87.1, Practices for Occupational and Educational Eye and Face Protection.

25. Eye Protection • Warning signs should be posted near operations requiring eye protection.

26. Use of Eye Protection • Must be: • Required by departmental SOPs. • Enforced by supervisors.

27. Hearing Protection • Firefighters are exposed to variety of sounds: • In the station. • En route to the scene. • On the fireground. • Permanent hearing loss can result from exposure to these sounds or a combination of sounds.

28. Hearing Protection Program • To prevent exposure to unacceptably high noise levels. • To identify, control, and reduce potentially harmful noise and/or provide protection from it. • Eliminating or reducing noise level is the best solution, but often not possible. • Acceptable hearing protection should be provided and used.

29. Intercom / Ear Protection • Most common use of hearing protection for firefighters who ride apparatus that exceed maximum noise exposure levels. • Reduce the amount of noise and allow the crew to communicate or monitor the radio.

30. Earplugs or Earmuffs • May be used for hearing protection. • If earplugs are used, each firefighter should be issued a personal set.

31. Potential Hazards: • Earmuffs can compromise protection of the face by making it awkward to wear SCBA and protective hoods. • Earplugs may melt when exposed to intense heat. • For these reasons, it is impractical to wear hearing protection during structural fire fighting operations.

32. Protective Hoods • Designed to protect a firefighter's ears, neck, and face from exposure to extreme heat. • Also cover areas not otherwise protected by the SCBA facepiece, ear covers, or coat collars. • Typically made of fire resistant materials. • Available in long or short styles. • Used with SCBA facepieces, they provide effective protection. • Must not interfere with facepiece-to-face seal.

33. Firefighter Protective Coats • Used for protection in structural fire fighting and other fire department activities. • NFPA 1971 requires all protective coats to be made of three components: • Outer shell. • Moisture barrier. • Thermal barrier.

34. Firefighter Protective Coats • Barriers • Trap insulating air that inhibits transfer of heat from outside to the firefighter's body. • Also protect firefighter from: • Direct flame contact. • Hot water and vapors. • Cold temperatures. • Other environmental hazards.

35. Firefighter Protective Coats • All inner liners must be in place during any fire fighting operations. • Failure to do so may expose the firefighter to severe heat that could result in serious injury or death.

36. Protective Coat Features • Collars must be turned up to protect the neck and throat. • Wristlets prevent water, embers, and debris from rolling down inside the sleeves. • Closure system on front of protective coats prevents water or fire products from entering through gaps between snaps or clips.

37. Protective Coat Features • Protective coats which meet NFPA standards are designed to be cleaned according to manufacturer's specifications. • Reflective trim: • Should be maintained according to NFPA standards. • Should not be obscured by: • Pockets. • Patches. • Storm flaps.

38. Firefighter Protective Trousers • An integral part of the protective ensemble. • Three-quarter boots and long coats • Do not provide adequate protection. • Are no longer permissible according to NFPA 1500.

39. Selecting protective trousers • Consider same concepts of fabric selection, moisture barriers, and other considerations used in selecting protective coats. • Layering principles that apply to coats also apply to trousers. • Options, like reinforced knees and leather cuffs, may increase their durability. • Suspenders should be the heavy-duty type.

40. Firefighter Protective Trousers • Protective trousers that meet NFPA standards are designed to be according to manufacturer's specifications. • Maintain reflective trim according to NFPA standards.

41. Hand Protection • Most important characteristics: • Protection they provide against heat or cold. • Resistance to cuts, punctures, and liquid absorption. • Must allow enough dexterity and tactile feel for the firefighter to perform the job effectively. • Must fit properly and be designed to provide protection as well as to allow dexterity.

42. Foot Protection • Numerous hazards to the feet at a fire scene: • Embers. • Falling objects. • Nails. • Foot protection should be selected to minimize risk of injury from these hazards.

43. Foot Protection • Two Kinds of Foot Protection: • Protective boots for fire fighting and emergency activities. • Safety shoes: • Station wear. • Inspections. • Emergency medical responses. • Other similar activities.

44. Foot Protection • Puncture Resistance • Should be provided by stainless steel midsole plate. • If there is doubt about midsole protection, X-ray the boot.

45. Foot Protection • Insulation: • Required by some fire departments. • Disadvantage is that added weight adds to firefighter fatigue. • Select boot liner that will not break up and cause blisters and discomfort. • Some protective boots have shin pads to reduce strain from leg locks and crawling.

46. Boot Size • Firefighters should be fitted as accurately as possible. • Half sizes available for men and women. • Firefighters should not share protective boots because this is an unsanitary practice. • When reissuing boots, sanitize them as recommended by an industrial hygienist.

47. Safety Shoes or Boots • Should be worn while conducting inspections or doing work around the station. • Department may require them as part of daily uniform.

48. Safety Shoes • Usually have: • Safety toes. • Puncture-resistant soles. • Special inserts. • Provide good support for climbing. • Give increased physical agility. • Are generally less fatiguing than protective boots.

49. Leather Fire Fighting Boots • Can be used for: • Work at the station. • Conducting inspections. • Fire fighting operations.

50. Wildland Personal Protective Clothing • Structural fire fighting protective clothing is generally too bulky, too hot, and too heavy for wildland fire fighting. • Wildland fire fighting personal protective clothing (brush gear) and equipment. • Specifications found in NFPA 1977, Standard on Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting.