Keeping It Safe Robert Tutterow
Much has been studied and written about dealing with contamination and the resulting firefighter cancer rates. And, much more is needed. However, one aspect of this challenge that has received little attention is protecting the personal protective equipment (PPE) technician.
Just what is a PPE technician? This is the person who handles the dirty, contaminated PPE—i.e., who does the washing and drying. While this process varies among departments, the idea of a designated PPE technician and a PPE manager is gaining momentum in the industry. In fact, the new National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1850, Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural and Proximity Firefighting and Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) [formerly NFPA 1851, Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting], has proposed new requirements for a PPE technician and a PPE manager. The manager is the person who oversees the PPE program, and the technician is the person who directly handles the PPE.
There are many ways to protect the PPE technician, but there is one practice that many departments need to adopt—that the technician wears PPE (including a Tyvek suit, a P100 respirator, and medical exam gloves) while handling the contaminated PPE. This practice is simple and inexpensive.
Moreover, not all members should be directly involved in cleaning PPE. From a risk management angle, one person who is trained and protected should do the job. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a report this past January titled, “Wear and Tear May Cause Firefighter Gear to Release More ‘Forever Chemicals’ ”—i.e., PFAS. This is yet another reason to protect the PPE technician.
What are some of the other aspects of protecting the PPE technician? First, develop a cancer awareness program that educates and trains your members on how to mitigate contamination. For example, the San Diego (CA) Fire Department has an eight-hour course all members attend on cancer awareness. If you have not done so, adopt and regularly use a good preliminary exposure reduction (PER) program. Then, be sure all the gear is properly bagged in clear plastic disposable bags or in reusable bags specifically designed to handle contaminated PPE. There are multiple instances in which fire departments used black plastic bags for their gear, and those bags were mistaken for trash, and the gear was thrown away.
Fire station layout is critical. There is so much that can be done when designing a new station to isolate contamination, and there are also common-sense things that can be done in existing stations. Most of us have seen “No Gear Beyond This Point” signs. Perhaps that can be improved by putting up “No Contamination Beyond This Point” signs. These can be printed and laminated very inexpensively. Every station, old and new, should have a designated PPE cleaning area, and this area must also be kept clean.
I was taken aback when talking with an architect who specializes in fire station design when he said he was working with a department that wanted absolutely nothing related to contamination in its station design. He was contemplating walking away from the project if he was not able to provide them with education on contamination hazards.
The primary focus of PPE cleaning has been on turnout coats, pants, and hoods. This is understandable since these elements are cleaned in a washer/extractor. However, there must be an equal focus on helmets, boots, gloves, and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). The industry is now making equipment that will clean these elements, and they are growing in popularity despite their high price. A couple of other pieces of equipment that deserve consideration are a soak tank for contaminated elements and a down-draft table for use when breaking down PPE elements. A common response to purchasing this equipment is the cost. But, what is the cost of doing nothing?
Regrettably, for too many, this still seems like a bunch of hooey. A recent conversation with a person who is well-versed in the fire service told me that the “cancer thing is overblown.” I was speechless and brushed it off because it was not a time to engage in a discussion that would likely not change the person’s mind.
In reflecting on this conversation, I have thought—where are the data and science that say this is overblown? I have not seen them, but I have seen dozens, if not hundreds, of reports that state otherwise. I have listened to personal testimonies from firefighter cancer survivors and from those who eventually passed on from cancer. Most will say that if they had it to do over again, they would do a lot differently. Is cancer a part of the difficulties in recruitment and retention of firefighters? I think it might be, and that is yet another reason to act.
ROBERT TUTTEROW retired as safety coordinator for the Charlotte (NC) Fire Department and is a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Editorial Advisory Board. His 44-year career includes 10 as a volunteer. He has been very active in the National Fire Protection Association through service on the Fire Service Section Executive Board and technical committees involved with safety, apparatus, and personal protective equipment. He is a founding member and president of the Fire Industry Education Resource Organization (F.I.E.R.O.).
