PINE HILL FIRE DEPARTMENT STANDARD OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES Operations-22 Subject: PPE (Turnout Gear) Effective Date: 3/1/2008 Revised 11/11/2014 Pages: 1 of 5 The environments in which firefighters perform their duties demand that they be provided with the best personal protective equipment (PPE) available. The provision and use of quality protective equipment will not by themselves, assure the greatest firefighter safety. All protective equipment has inherent limitations that must be recognized so that firefighters will not overextend the item's range of protection. The purpose for this SOG is to establish and maintain a policy and guideline for the use and care of protective clothing by the members of the Pine Hill Fire Department. This SOG applies to all personnel of the Pine Hill Fire Department. It shall be the guideline of the Pine Hill Fire Department to utilize the following SOG as outlined. It shall also be the guideline of this department to evaluate the effectiveness of the SOG and make adjustments as needed. All members of the department are issued personnel protective equipment that meets or exceeds the requirement of NFPA and PEOSHA. All protective clothing shall be of a type and kind issued or approved by the Chief of the Pine Hill Fire Department. Non approved items shall not be worn. This equipment shall include but is not limited to the following items: Protective coat, trousers, gloves, helmet, Nomex hood, Scott face piece, boots, and Station/work uniforms. SCBA with built in pass devices although not issued shall also be included in this procedure as far as use, care, and maintenance. This gear is only as effective as the members make it. This gear shall be worn at the situations outlined in this guideline. All firefighters at the scene of a fire or incident, when in close proximity to the structure or vehicle, shall wear full firefighting gear, including at a minimum turnout coat, bunker pants and boots, helmet and gloves. The SCBA should be donned and in the ready to use position. Members operating within the structure, vehicle, or other unknown hazard shall have the face piece donned, SCBA turned on. The SCBA face piece shall not be removed until the firefighter is outside the structure or until it is determined through air monitoring that no hazards are present. Members shall follow all the requirement of the Departmental Respiratory Protection Program when it comes to the use and care of the SCBA units. Protective clothing shall be worn whenever the member is at risk of being exposed to an unknown hazard or before it can be determined what the hazard present may be at the time. The member shall use the protective clothing if it is determined that a hazard is present and uses the protection level appropriate for the incident. All Career personnel are purchased station wear to meet NFPA 1975. Personnel on duty shall only wear material that meet this standard. This shall be included as protective clothing and worn and maintained in the appreciate manner. In addition the department shall require the members of the department to wear protective clothing appropriate for the situation involved in at an incident. This may require the member to wear more than the protective clothing mention in this procedure.
Personal Protective Clothing a) Protective clothing for structural firefighting will consist of: 1. Turnout Coat 2. Bunker Pants 3. Suspenders 4. Boots 5. Gloves 6. Helmet 7. Nomex Hood 8. Respiratory Mask b) Protective clothing will be kept free of all foreign material. Follow manufacturer's recommendations concerning cleaning should any conflict arise. Wearing Of (PPE) a) Personal protective equipment will be worn at all times during response to the scene of any emergency situation. This will be done by all personnel riding on an apparatus. b) The officer in charge shall be accountable for any doffing of personal protective clothing contrary to this SOG but, may make acceptable exceptions at his discretion. c) Bunker pants and boots will not be worn during water rescue operations. d) Personal protective clothing may be removed at the discretion of the officer-in-charge. Protective Clothing and Wearing of (PPE) a) Inspection and Maintenance: 1. All members of the department shall receive annual training on Protective clothing. During the training the member will be given specific instructions on the use, care and maintenance of the equipment. Members will also follow the departmental SOG on the inspection and cleaning of protective clothing. Members will become familiar with the uses and the limitation of the protective clothing as well and the manufacturers recommendation for cleaning the garments. Prior to the use and after each use the protective clothing shall be visually inspected for cuts, holes, tears or any other noticeable defect in the material of the garment. 2. Once a garment has a defect it shall be repaired by the manufacturer or a representative of the manufacturer. Only those repairs which are authorized by the manufacturer shall be permitted to be done by department Personnel. Protective clothing shall be inspected a minimum of every six (6) months or after use whichever occurs first. O-22 2 Issue Date: 3/1/2008
b) Cleaning of (PPE) 1. Cleaning shall be done after every use of the protective clothing. 2. At which time any heavily soiled area shall be treated and if needed the garment or equipment shall be washed. THE DEPARTMENT HAS A WASHING MACHINE INSTATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF CLEANING PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AND STATION UNIFORMS ONLY. In the event that the garment or equipment has been exposed to any hazardous materials known or unknown the garment shall not place in the washing machine but shall be taken to a facility designated to handle such contaminated gear. This shall also apply to station uniforms and medical equipment contaminated with blood or other pathogen. In the event that this situation does occur the duty officer shall be notified of the situation and a department exposure sheet shall be filled out by the person wearing the gear. c) Coats and Bunker Pants, Station Uniforms, and Nomex Hoods 1. This section applies to the washing of the protective coat and pants as well as the inner liner and outer shells, Nomex hoods and station uniforms. a) Use hot water. b) Use the highest water level. c) The garment shall be added to the washer. Only Nomex items shall be washed together. d) Use a normal cycle, cotton/white or similar setting. e) Use a double rinse cycle. This may require the person to run the washer through a second rinse cycle without adding detergent. f) Air dry on a hanger not in direct sunlight. g) Run the washer machine empty with detergent to purge the machine of any residue. h) Do not use chlorine bleach. i) Do not dry clean 2. The following bleaches are recommended for the purpose of washing turnout gear: a) Follow the direction printed on the product being used. b) Liquid Clorox 2 c) Liquid Vivid 3. The following are recommended for the purpose of spot cleaning and pretreating protective clothing. Follow the direction on the product being used. a) Liquid Spray and Wash b) Liquid Shout c) Liquid Tide d) Liquid Dishwasher Detergent e) When pretreating the garment follow the direction on the product or products that are being used. d) Helmets 1. After use the helmet shall be inspected. During this time the member shall look at the strap to make sure the buckles are not damaged and the strap is in proper working order. The face shield shall be inspected for scratches cracks and overall visibility of the same. The outer shall be inspected for any cracks both inside and outside the helmet. The reflective trim shall be inspected. The inside shall be inspected to make sure the ear flap protection is in proper working order and that the impact ring is still in place. The helmet should be checked for any defect and signs of heat damage. Any defect found shall be repaired by either replacing the defective part or by sending the helmet out for repair by the manufacturer. O-22 3 Issue Date: 3/1/2008
a) Helmet Cleaning: 1. Use mild soap and water 2. Use isopropyl alcohol 3. Sponge 4. Face shield shall be cleaned in the same manner e) Gloves 1. Gloves shall be inspected after each use. 2. The inspection shall check for cuts, tears, holes or any other defect in the material. 3. The gloves shall also be check for dirt and other contaminants. 4. Gloves shall be cleaned in warm water using a mild detergent. The preferred method is to hand wash the gloves. This can be done by placing the gloves on the hands and rubbing them together or by using a brush to clean them of any dirt or contaminates. As with other Protective clothing do not use chlorine bleach or other products that contain chlorine. f) Boots Inspection 1. Leather boots shall be inspected after use for tread wear. 2. Any cracks in the uppers section of the boot. 3. Inspection shall also be made for dirt, leaks in the boot, abrasions and cuts. 4. Cleaning shall be done with a mild soap and water. The surface shall be cleaned with saddle soap. Then polished with a non-flammable shoe polish. 5. Rubber boots shall be inspected after use for dirt, dust, chemicals, and also for leaks, cuts abrasions and tread wear. 6. Cleaning shall be done with mild soap; and water. When inspecting any protective clothing any time a defected is noticed that will affect the use of the equipment it shall be placed out of service until it is determined that the equipment possess no problem or a repair has be made using manufacturers guidelines. g) Air Mask 1. All operations conducted with respiratory protection shall be in accordance with the Pine Hill Fire Department Respiratory Protection Program SOG ADM24, in accordance with the requirement of NJPEOSHA, N.J.A.C. 12:100-10. h) Respirator Fitting And Seal 1. Inspection Before Use: Each fire fighter shall be responsible for selecting and wearing the correct size face piece as determined by annual fit testing. A firefighter shall not wear respiratory protective equipment unless the proper size face piece is available and the equipment is in the proper working condition according to the manufacturers specifications. 2. Effective Seal Required: An effective face-to-face piece seal is extremely important when using respiratory protective equipment. Minor leakage can allow contaminants to enter the face piece, even with a positive pressure SCBA. Any outward leakage will increase the rate of air consumption, reducing the time available for use and safe exit. The face piece must seal tightly against the skin, without penetration or interference by any protective clothing or other equipment. Nothing can be between the sealing surface of the mask and the face of the wearer including but not limited; O-22 4 Issue Date: 3/1/2008
eyeglasses, protective hoods, and beards or other facial hair. Protective hoods shall only be worn in accordance with the manufacturer s recommendations. Departmental personnel who allow facial hair to interfere with face-to-face piece seal shall no longer be certified for SCBA usage and shall be required to participate in re-certification. Department Issued (PPE) for Personal Use a) With the exception of use during Department approved training, at no time will PPE be removed the Station or used for personal use. Department approved training will be defined as any training approved by the chief of Department, or his/her designee, or the PHFD Training Officer. This rule may be waved on a case-by-case base by the same individuals. O-22 5 Issue Date: 3/1/2008