Section 405.01

I. Scope:

This standard applies to all members required to work in hazardous environments. It was created to establish guidelines for the use of protective clothing and equipment to reduce the risk of illness, injury or death that might result from a member’s exposure to a hazardous environment.

II. General:

A. Each member shall wear protective clothing and use equipment appropriate for the hazards to which he is exposed.

B. Each member shall properly maintain the protective clothing and equipment that have been issued to him and that are carried on the apparatus operated by the department.

C. A protective clothing washer has been provided to assist members in maintaining their turnout coat and pants. Each member shall clean his structural protective clothing at least once every six months and every time it is contaminated.

D. Any equipment or protective clothing that is found to be unsafe or inoperable shall be red-tagged, removed from service immediately and forwarded to the appropriate member for repair.

III. Structural Firefighting:

A. Each member assigned to fight structure fires shall be issued protective clothing and equipment that apply with all applicable NFPA standards and Vegreville Fire Department requirements. These items shall include:

1. Helmet (NFPA 1972)

2. Boots (NFPA 1974)

3. Gloves (NFPA 1973)

4. Coat (NFPA 1971)

5. Pants with suspenders (NFPA 1971)

6. Balaclava (NFPA 1971)

7. Coveralls (NFPA 1975)

B. No alterations shall be made to protective clothing without the approval of the Fire Chief.

C. Each member operating within a perimeter designated as hazardous by the Incident Commander shall wear his full protective clothing in the prescribed manner. The incident commander shall determine when and if it is safe to remove some or all the clothing.

E. To assist members with identifying rank at an incident scene, helmets are colour coded as follows:

A. All self-contained breathing apparatus used by the department shall comply with NFPA 1981.

B. Unless the safety of the atmosphere can be determined by testing and continuous monitoring, all personnel shall use SCBA while working in areas where:

C. Members wearing SCBA shall always work in teams of at least two members each.

E. Spare SCBA cylinders shall be kept on all apparatus that are designed to carry spare cylinders and be available for immediate use.

F. SCBA shall not be removed until the Incident Commander has determined that the atmosphere is no longer hazardous.

G. A personal alert safety system (PASS) device that complies with NFPA 1982 shall be assigned to each SCBA and shall be activated whenever the SCBA is in use.

A. Protective clothing and equipment that meet NFPA 1977, Standard on Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting, shall be provided for use by each member assigned to fight a wildland fire. This includes coveralls or pants and shirts, gloves, footwear, helmets and eye protection.

B. Wildland gear shall be worn in lieu of structural protective clothing when fighting grass and brush fires whenever it is available.

C. If wildland gear is unavailable, the Incident Commander shall determine the level of protection that is required. At minimum, protection shall include the issued structural fire fighting protective clothing and equipment.

A. All life safety ropes, harnesses and hardware used by the department shall meet the applicable requirements of NFPA 1983, Standard on Fire Service Life Safety Rope and System Components.

B. Class I life safety harnesses shall only be used for firefighting attachment to ladders.

C. Class II and Class III life safety harnesses shall be used for fall arrest and rappelling operations.

D. Rope used to support the weight of members or other persons during rescue, firefighting, other emergency operations or training evolutions shall be life safety rope. Life safety rope used for any other purpose shall be removed from service.

E. Life safety rope used for rescue at fires or other emergency incidents or for training shall be inspected before and after each use in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and may be reused provided it has not sustained any visual damage due to heat, direct flame contact, chemical exposure or abrasion.

F. Life safety rope shall be removed from service if the rope has been subjected to an impact load or exposure to a chemical known to deteriorate rope. Life Safety rope may be put back into service by a professional engineer or the manufacturer certifies that the system is safe to use.

A. Each member shall inspect protective clothing and equipment issued to him and operated by the department. Each member is responsible for the cleaning, care and maintenance of his clothing and equipment and for obtaining repairs or replacement items.

B. Officers shall inspect protective clothing and equipment issued to the members of their assigned crew racks,to ensure that all items are properly maintained and are functioning properly.

C. The Safety Officer shall be responsible for ensuring that all members operating within the hazardous perimeter of an incident are properly attired and using the appropriate protective clothing and equipment. Any member who is in violation of this procedure shall be ordered to promptly leave the hazardous area.