PPE Resources

As a firefighter, your personal protective equipment (PPE) is your best line of defense against exposure and contamination risks that could otherwise threaten your health and safety. It is critical that your gear fits properly, is worn properly, and is cleaned and decontaminated properly. This page provides resources to help make sure your gear is keeping you protected and safe.

Posters

Hang these posters up at the station to remind responders of important PPE safety practices.


Download as: PDF, JPG		  
Download as: PDF, JPG		  
Download as: PDF, JPG
       

Download as: PDF, JPG
Download as: PDF, JPG

Lavender Ribbon Report

The Lavender Ribbon Report, Lavender Ribbon Report Update, and the supporting graphics and videos impart critical safety messages on how to reduce exposure risks and protect responders against occupational cancer.

NFPA Standards

NFPA 1970 provides the Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural and Proximity Firefighting, Work Apparel, Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Emergency Services, and Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS).

Webinar: Female Firefighter Personal Protective Clothing: Investigation of Design Comfort and Mobility Issues looks at findings from a study on proper sizing for PPE and the challenges and barriers of designing and producing gear for the female firefighter population.

NIOSH Resources

The Personal Protective Equipment resources page provides firefighters with information about PPE to help keep them safe, including links to NIOSH case reports, publications, blogs, webpages and more.

The Firefighter Safety and Health Resources page is a collection of all NIOSH resources for firefighters, including information and prevention tips for the leading causes of injury and illness.

An advisory on Safety and Health Considerations for Junior Firefighters includes a section on providing juniors with appropriate PPE.

NVFC Webinars

Following the Science: Considerations for a Safe Transition to Non-PFAS in Firefighter Protective Clothing provides updates on research efforts to better understand the risk and extent of PFAS exposure to firefighters from their gear and provides a comparison of the effectiveness of PFAS-treated and newly available non-PFAS-treated turnout gear in both new and aged conditions.

Personal Protective Equipment Preservation and N95 Respirator Decontamination and Reuse reviews current research and best practices on preserving and decontaminating personal protective equipment and use of the Battelle Decontamination System to extend the lifespan of N95 respirators.

First Responder Center for Excellence Videos

Articles

Learn more about aspects of PPE fit and care with these articles.