irsmith
01-09-2009, 08:09 AM
I thought the following item from Total Fire E-news contains some good advice.
NFPA 1851 is the Selection, Care and Maintenance of Structural Firefighting Protective Ensembles. For you, the main issues in NFPA 1851 are health, safety, survival and liability. By following the Standard, fire departments will reduce the safety risks and potential health hazards related to bunker gear. The Standard also helps protect firefighters, their families and citizens from possible contamination. What does that mean translated in firehouse talk?
Get those nasty and dirty contaminants off you and your gear!
Simply put, today’s fires create so many more hazards-and the more “man” invents, the more hazards firefighters must face. Your PPE is designed to protect you-so after it is done doing its job, get it cleaned by removing the bad stuff it just protected you from!
Take a look at your hood? How often is it cleaned? At minimal it must be cleaned along with the rest of your gear (see NFPA 1851!) regularly. But consider that your hood absorbs nasty carcinogens AND gets the closest to your skin-by lying in your neck area when not being used. So, for example, you have a working fire…your hood gets filthy…you decide not to clean it….and for the next 30 or so runs, the hood and all that’s nasty within it lays on your neck. You make a few runs…your work up a bit of a sweat…your pores open up…and what can you then absorb? The nasty stuff that is now on your neck from your dirty hood has a potentially “easy path” to your body.
Fire fighting is risky-without question! But there is so much ALL FIREFIGHTERS can do to minimize the risk. KEEPING YOUR HOOD AS CLEAN AS POSSIBLE CAN MAKE A SIGNIFICANT AND POSITIVE DIFFERENCE IN YOUR HEALTH.
NFPA 1851 is the Selection, Care and Maintenance of Structural Firefighting Protective Ensembles. For you, the main issues in NFPA 1851 are health, safety, survival and liability. By following the Standard, fire departments will reduce the safety risks and potential health hazards related to bunker gear. The Standard also helps protect firefighters, their families and citizens from possible contamination. What does that mean translated in firehouse talk?
Get those nasty and dirty contaminants off you and your gear!
Simply put, today’s fires create so many more hazards-and the more “man” invents, the more hazards firefighters must face. Your PPE is designed to protect you-so after it is done doing its job, get it cleaned by removing the bad stuff it just protected you from!
Take a look at your hood? How often is it cleaned? At minimal it must be cleaned along with the rest of your gear (see NFPA 1851!) regularly. But consider that your hood absorbs nasty carcinogens AND gets the closest to your skin-by lying in your neck area when not being used. So, for example, you have a working fire…your hood gets filthy…you decide not to clean it….and for the next 30 or so runs, the hood and all that’s nasty within it lays on your neck. You make a few runs…your work up a bit of a sweat…your pores open up…and what can you then absorb? The nasty stuff that is now on your neck from your dirty hood has a potentially “easy path” to your body.
Fire fighting is risky-without question! But there is so much ALL FIREFIGHTERS can do to minimize the risk. KEEPING YOUR HOOD AS CLEAN AS POSSIBLE CAN MAKE A SIGNIFICANT AND POSITIVE DIFFERENCE IN YOUR HEALTH.