Equipment
Proper use and maintenance of equipment is a critical component of firefighter and emergency responder safety. The NVFC identifies the following B.E.S.T. Practices for equipment:
- Provide and require the proper use of full personal protective equipment.
- Maintain all equipment based on established safety recommendations.
Utilize the following resources to learn more and implement these practices in your department.
Equipment Resources
Say It Loud and Clear
Clear, coherent communications are mission-critical to a first responder. Motorola partnered with the International Association of Fire Chiefs to test, track, and pinpoint the best practices for firefighters to maximize communication intelligibility and overcome background noise when using a portable or mobile radio. Watch the video to learn how to incorporate best practices and see the difference intelligible communications can make when lives are on the line.
Firefighter Fatalities and Injuries: The Role of Heat Stress and PPE
Heart attack is the leading cause of line-of-duty firefighter fatalities, and slips, trips, and falls cause a large number of firefighter injuries. Previous research suggests that heat stress may be a common causal factor in both heart attacks and slips, trips, and falls, and that one common, critical factor can potentially mitigate both of these injuries and fatalities: modified PPE. The Firefighter Life Safety Research Center and the Illinois Fire Service Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign released this report of the “Cardiovascular and Biomechanical Responses to Fire Fighting and PPE” research project. It provides a review of the known research and new and important findings concerning the interrelationship of cardiovascular function, biomechanics, and the design of personal protective equipment.
Thermal Capacity of Firefighters Protective Clothing
This report is a culmination of research conducted by the Fire Protection Research Foundation designed to investigate the thermal performance of firefighters' protective clothing over a range of firefighting exposures, ultimately leading to better designs for protective gear.
Examples of Protective Clothing (Santa Clara County Fire Department)
Firefighters have many different types of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to wear, depending upon what kind of activity they are involved in. The style or colors may vary from department to department, but in general every firefighter will wear some variation of the clothing shown here, if their duties call for it.
Personal Protective Equipment Symposium
The inaugural Fire Service PPE Symposium in March 2009, sponsored by the Fire Industry Equipment Research Organization and NFPA Fire Service Section, attracted some of the most prominent figures in the industry. Fire service experts and major manufacturers discussed issues facing the fire service as well as trends and technology. FireRescue1.com was at the event in Charlotte, N.C., and provides a synopsis of the highlights as well as interviews with leading PPE experts.
NFPA Standards for Equipment
NFPA1952: Standard on Surface Water Operations Protective Clothing and Equipment
NFPA1951: Standard on Protective Ensembles for Technical Rescue Incidents
NFPA1977: Standard on Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting
NFPA 1971: Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting
Articles
Line-of-Duty Deaths Continue to Soar: It is Time to Take Action
By Kevin Quinn, Vice Chair, NVFC Health and Safety Committee
This article emphasizes the need for full and proper use of PPE at emergency scenes.
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