Difference between revisions of "Bunker Gear Selection, Inspection and Maintenance"

Revision as of 11:54, 19 March 2016

Section 1 - ADMINISTRATIVE

130.12 Bunker Gear Care & Maintenance

PURPOSE:

To established a guideline for the care and maintenance of personal protective equipment for structural firefighting.

This guideline is to be followed by all personnel. Any deviation must have the approval from the Fire Chief.

The following guideline is established to provide a program for the proper selection of protective ensembles and elements used by this organization for structural firefighting and the intent is to minimize the safety and health risks associated with poorly maintained, contaminated or damaged protective equipment.

PROCEDURE:

Administration and Guidelines

The established guideline shall comply with NFPA 1851, the Standard on Selection, Care and Maintenance of Structural Fire Fighting Protective Ensembles, 2014 edition. The manufacturer requirements of the protective ensembles shall also be reviewed.

• Selection Committee:
  • The Department’s designated Safety Committee shall oversee the authorization/ selection of structural firefighting ensemble. The Assistant Fire Chief or his/her designee will be responsible for the care, maintenance and record keeping of the Department’s personal protective equipment.
• Contract Resources
  

If this organization elects to utilize contract resources for specific parts of this program, the contractor shall substantiate to the committee that it has been recognized by the manufacturer to perform:

• Cleaning
• Repair
• Modifications
  

The contractor shall also identify to the committee any limitations placed by the manufacturer as a condition of recognition.

Training Requirements

Inspections
Routine Inspection

• All members who have been issued a protective ensemble or ensemble elements shall be trained to perform a Routine Inspection as directed in this document.
• A member of this organization who has already been trained by the manufacturer’s representative may perform training. Advanced Inspection
• Selected members of this organization shall be trained to perform Advanced Inspections as directed by this guideline.
• The manufacturer or manufacturer’s representative of each element shall train selected members and training shall be documented.
• Each member who is assigned to perform the advance inspections must attend on-line or classroom training by the manufacture.

Cleaning
Routine Cleaning

• All members of this organization who have been issued a protective ensemble or ensemble elements shall be trained to perform a Routine Cleaning as directed in this guideline.
• A member of this organization who has already been trained will perform training.

Advanced Cleaning

• Selected members of this organization will be trained to perform Advanced Cleaning as directed by this guideline.
• The manufacturer or manufacturer’s representative of each element shall train selected members and training shall be documented.

Specialized Cleaning

• Selected members of this organization shall be trained to perform Specialized Cleaning as directed by this document.
• The manufacturer or manufacturer’s representative of each element shall train selected members and training shall be documented.

Repair

• The manufacturer’s representative will perform all repairs or a resource recognized by the manufacturer of the protective ensemble.

After-Market Modifications and Alterations

• No after-market modifications or alterations of any type to any ensemble or ensemble element unless authorized by the manufacturer. This includes but is not limited to hooks, patches, snaps, belts, paint, decals, etc.

Manufacturer’s Instructions

• Where the manufacturer’s instructions regarding care and maintenance deviate from this guideline, the manufacturer’s instructions shall supersede in all cases.
• When issuing new ensembles or ensemble elements, this organization shall provide its members with applicable parts of this document and, a copy of the manufacturer’s instructions on care, use, maintenance, limitations and, warnings.

Limiting Exposure to Soiled or Contaminated Ensembles or Ensemble Elements

• Ensembles or ensemble elements that are determined to be soiled or contaminated shall be removed from service, placed in an airtight container and transported to Fire Station 45 to be cleaned or decontaminated.
• At no time shall members of this organization transport or store soiled or contaminated ensembles or ensemble elements in department living areas, department apparatus, personal vehicles, or personal place of residence.
• At no time shall members of this organization unnecessarily expose themselves, family, other members of this organization, or the public to ensembles and ensemble elements that have been soiled or contaminated.
• The committee shall also become familiar with federal and state OSHA regulations as well as section 2.5 and A.2.5 of NFPA 1851 Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Structural Fire Fighting Ensemble, and NFPA 1581 Standard on Fire Department Infection Control Program with regards to soiled or contaminated ensembles.

Terminology and Definitions

The following terms with definitions are recognized by NFPA and may be found in this document or others created in support of this document:

• Accessories: Those items that are attached to an ensemble or ensemble element but designed in such a manner to be removable from the ensemble or the element and that are not necessary to meet the requirements of the standard. Such accessories include, but are not limited to, utility belts, harnesses, backpacks, tools, tool packs, radios, radio packs, suspenders, lights, and heat sensing devices.
• Biological Agents: Biological materials that could be capable of causing a disease or long-term damage to the human body.
• Body Fluids: Fluids produced by the body including, but not limited to, blood, semen, mucus, feces, urine, vaginal secretions, breast milk, amniotic fluids, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, and pericardial fluid.
• Carcinogen/Carcinogenic: A cancer-causing substance which is identified in one of several published lists.
• Care: Procedures for cleaning, decontamination, and storage of protective clothing and equipment.
• Certification/Certified: A system whereby a certification organization determines that a manufacturer has demonstrated the ability to produce a product that complies with the requirements of a specific standard(s), authorizes the manufacturer to use a label on listed products that comply with the requirements of that standard(s), and establishes a follow-up program conducted by the certification organization as a check on the methods the manufacturer uses to determine compliance with the requirements of that standard(s).
• Char: The formation of a brittle residue when material is exposed to thermal energy.
• Cleaning: The act of removing soils and contaminants from ensembles and elements by mechanical, chemical, thermal or combined processes.
• Advanced Cleaning: The thorough cleaning of ensembles or elements bywashing with cleaning agents.
• Contract Cleaning: Cleaning conducted by a facility outside the organization that specializes in cleaning protective clothing.
• Routine Cleaning: The light cleaning of ensembles or elements performed by the end user without taking the elements out of service.
• Specialized Cleaning: Cleaning to remove hazardous materials or biological agents.
• Coat: A protective garment; an element of the protective ensemble designed to provide minimum protection to upper torso and arms, excluding the hands and head.
• Contamination/Contaminated: The process by which ensembles and ensemble elements are exposed to hazardous materials or biological agents.
• Coverall.: A protective garment; an element of the protective ensemble configured as a single-piece garment and designed to provide minimum protection to the torso, arms, and legs, excluding the head, hands, and feet.
• Craze: The appearance of fine cracks in surface of helmet shell or other smooth surface of an element.
• Cross Contamination: The transfer of contamination from one item to another or to the environment.
• Crown: The portion of the helmet that covers the head above the reference plane.
• Crown Straps: A helmet term for the part of the suspension that passes over the head.
• Decontamination: The act of removing contaminants from ensembles and ensemble elements by a physical, chemical, or combined process. (See also Cleaning, and Specialized Cleaning.) Disinfectant: An agent that destroys, neutralizes, or inhibits the growth of harmful biological agents.
• Ear Covers: An integral part of the helmet designed to provide limited protection for the ears. Provides no significant thermal protection.
• Elasticity: The ability of an ensemble or element, when repeatedly stretched, to return to its original form as applied to wristlets and hoods.
• Elements: The parts or items that comprise the protective ensemble. The protective ensemble elements are coats, trousers, coveralls, helmets, gloves, footwear, and interface components.
• Embrittlement: The hardening of a textile material that makes the ensemble or element or a textile material susceptible to easy fracture.
• Emergency Medical Operations: The delivery of emergency medical care and transportation prior to arrival at a hospital or other health care facility.
• Energy Absorbing System: A material, suspension system, or combination thereof incorporated into the design of the helmet to attenuate impact energy.
• Ensemble: Multiple elements of clothing and equipment designed to provide a degree of protection for fire fighters from adverse exposures to the inherent risks of structural fire fighting operations and certain other emergency operations. The elements of the protective ensemble are coats, trousers, coveralls, helmets, gloves, footwear, and interface components.
• Faceshield: A helmet component intended to help protect a portion of the wearer’s face in addition to the eyes, not intended as primary eye protection.
• Field test: The non-laboratory evaluation of one or more protective ensemble elements used to determine product performance related to organizational expectations or to compare products in a manner related to their intended use.
• Fit: The quality, state or manner in which the length and closeness of clothing, when worn, relates to the human body.
• Flame Resistance/Resistant: The property of a material whereby the application of a flaming or non-flaming source of ignition and the subsequent removal of the ignition source results in the termination of combustion. Flame resistance

can be an inherent property of the material, or it can be imparted by specific treatment.

• Footwear: An element of the protective ensemble designed to provide minimum protection to the foot, ankle, and lower leg.
• Functional/Functionality: The ability of an ensemble or element or component to continue to be utilized for its intended purpose.
• Garment(s): The coat, trouser, or coverall elements of the protective ensemble designed to provide minimum protection to the upper and lower torso, arms, and legs, excluding the head, hands, and feet.
• Gauntlet: The circular, flared, or otherwise expanded part of the glove that extends beyond the opening of the glove body.
• Gear Manager: Internet based software program for electronic records management of personal protective equipment.
• Gloves: An element of the protective ensemble designed to provide minimum protection to the fingers, thumb, hand, and wrist.
• Glove Wristlet: The circular, close-fitting part of the glove, usually made of knitted material, that extends beyond the opening of the glove body.
• Goggles: A helmet component intended to help protect the wearer’s eyes and a portion of the wearer’s face, not intended as primary eye protection.
• Hardware: Non-fabric components of the structural firefighting protective ensemble including, but not limited to, those made of metal or plastic.
• Hazardous Materials: Any solid, liquid, gas, or mixture thereof that can potentially cause harm to the human body through respiration, ingestion, skin absorption, injection, or contact.
• Hazardous Materials Emergencies: Incidents involving the release or potential release of hazardous chemicals into the environment that can cause loss of life, personnel injury, or damage to property and the environment.
• Helmet: An element of the protective ensemble designed to provide minimum protection to the head.
• Hood: The interface component element of the protective ensemble designed to provide limited protection to the coat/helmet/SCBA facepiece interface area.
• Integrity: The ability of a ensemble or element to remain intact and provide continued minimum performance.
• Interface Area: An area of the body where the protective garments, helmet, gloves, footwear, or SCBA facepiece meet (i.e., the protective coat/helmet/SCBA facepiece area, protective coat/protective trouser area, the protective coat/glove area, and the protective trouser/footwear area).
• Liner System: The combination of the moisture barrier and thermal barrier as used in a garment.
• Maintenance: Procedures for inspection, repair, and retirement of protective clothing and equipment.
• Manufacturer: The entity that assumes the liability and provides the warranty for the compliant product.
• Melt: A response to heat by a material resulting in evidence of flowing or dripping.
• Moisture Barrier: The portion of the composite designed to prevent the transfer of liquids.
• Organization: The entity that provides the direct management and supervision for the emergency incident response personnel.
• Outer Shell: The outermost layer of the composite with the exception of trim, hardware, reinforcing material and wristlet material.