The Road Warrior
By Allen Baldwin

NFPA 1851 Requires Routine PPE Inspection
There has been a lot of talk and concern about the impact the 2008 National Fire Protection Association 1851 Standard regarding personal protective equipment will have on the fire service.

With the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) show upon us, I am sure most people will be looking at PPE and associated equipment and programs. I had been wondering myself just how this standard will effect my department and wanted more information on it.

Basic Requirements
I was fortunate enough to attend one of the 1851 seminars put on by Globe Firefighter Suits, Southern Mills and the Fire Store. Based on this excellent presentation, I was able to walk away with some good information and an understanding of the standard and its effects on my department. If you have a chance to attend one of these programs, by all means do so as it is presented by folks who have been involved with this standard from its inception – and it’s free.

I would like to share some of the information with you from the seminar, courtesy of the folks that put it on. While I could easily eat up a couple of month’s column space on dissecting the entire standard, let’s spend some time on some basic requirements.

The standard itself includes specific sections on PPE management program guidance, PPE selection, PPE inspection, PPE cleaning and decontamination, PPE repairs, PPE retirement guidelines and a section on PPE testing procedures.

First, let’s look at the inspection requirements section, which is broken down into routine, advanced, and complete liner inspections.

Routine Inspections
For routine inspections individuals should inspect their PPE ensemble elements after each use. The routine inspection should include checking for soiling or contamination, rips, tears, cuts, damaged or missing hardware and closures. The inspection should also cover charring, burn holes, melting, discoloration of any layer, damaged or missing reflective trim and loss of seam integrity. In addition, look for broken or missing stitches – on any layer – correct assembly, and size compatibility of shell, liner and the drag rescue device (DRD).

The routine inspection requirements for the DRD include checking for proper installation, soiling or contamination, cuts, tears, cracking, splitting, charring, burning holes, melting, discoloration, loss of seam integrity and broken or missing stitches.

The advanced inspection should occur once every 12 months or when a problem is suspected or indicated. It is the responsibility of the department or organization to conduct these inspections.

A manufacturer-trained individual must conduct advanced inspections. The department or organization is also responsible for maintaining and documenting all findings. The advanced inspection requirements for PPE include criteria for each ensemble element.

The standard provides an advanced inspection criteria table in the annex to assist you, along with a sample grading scale. The advanced inspection checklists include inspecting all separable layers for soiling or contamination, rips, tears, cuts, abrasions, damaged, or missing hardware, charring, burn holes, melting or discoloration. Loss of moisture barrier integrity includes rips, tears, cuts, abrasions, discoloration and thermal damage.

The PPE fit inspection covers coat/bunker pants overlap, loss of seam integrity, broken or missing stitches, wristlet elasticity, including excessive stretching, runs, cuts and holes, trim reflectivity and damage along with proper attachment. The fit inspection should also examine hook and loop function ability, ultraviolet (UV) or chemical degradation, loss or shifting of thermal barrier material, label integrity and legibility, liner attachment system, closure system function ability.

The fit inspection must also include an examination of accessories for compliance and assembly and compatibility of the shell, liner and DRD. It also calls for light and leak evaluations of the liner. Trained personnel can conduct both of these tests at the station, and the processes are described in the standard and also demonstrated at the 1851 seminars.

As with the routine inspection, there are specific sections for the DRD for the advanced inspection, and these include checking for proper installation in the garment and all of the other examinations previously mentioned.

The final inspection level covers the complete liner inspection. This includes checking the moisture and thermal barriers, looking for the same defects previously mentioned as well as loose or missing moisture barrier seam tape, separation of the moisture barrier film from the fabric and flaking or powdering of the barrier material. Additionally, the inspection should look for UV or chemical degradation, loss or shifting of the thermal barrier material and a hydrostatic test of the moisture barrier.

Record Keeping
When was the last time you did a routine inspection on your PPE? When was the last time your department did an annual PPE inspection? What about record keeping?

Globe has a new Web-based program, PPE Tracker, which is free and can assist your department with tracking its PPE. For more information on the PPE Tracker go to www.globefiresuits.com.

The NFPA standard requires departments or organizations to complete and maintain inspection records for all PPE, so make sure you have yourself covered.

The standard also makes recommendations for storage. Take a look at your station and determine whether or not the gear is exposed to sunlight due to the design of the building.  And, let’s not forget the PPE gear in personal or department vehicles. Make sure that’s protected as well.

UV exposure is very hard on our PPE, so let’s make sure it is properly stored and protected.

Decontamination Plan
Make sure you have a cleaning and decontamination plan in effect for your PPE to eliminate cross contamination and exposure. Again, the NFPA standard has several recommendations in this area, including record keeping.

One main area of concern in the new standard is the chapter on PPE retirement. It states PPE ensembles shall be retired if worn or damaged beyond repair, cannot be decontaminated and were not complaint with the respective standard when manufactured.

It also states that structural PPE elements shall be retired no more than 10 years from the date of manufacture. That means departments will have to look at the age of their PPE and plan ahead for systematic replacements to ensure compliance. How old is your current PPE?

As always stay safe and return to quarters.

Editor’s Note: Allen Baldwin is the manager of operations and incident response for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and a volunteer assistant chief with the Gettysburg (Pa.) Fire Department. He has been a firefighter and EMT for over 25 years, served as chief of the Chambersburg (Pa.) Fire Department and is an instructor with the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy and several community colleges.