Chief Concerns

by Richard Marinucci

Deciding To Comply With New Standards

I was recently at a training burn. One of my adult daughters was there to watch (her husband is a firefighter). During one of the breaks we were talking and my daughter asked me when I was going to get a new helmet. I told her not too soon.

I like the helmet. It’s broken in. It meets the standard and is comfortable. In spite of my desire (some call it stubbornness) to keep the old helmet, it raises the question as to when equipment needs to be replaced.

Obviously worn equipment needs to be discarded, but what about situations where existing standards or rules change? What do you do if a standard is slated to be changed significantly in the not too distant future, but you need to consider replacement now?

Some change of equipment is needed because of normal wear and tear. Some needs to be changed because a standard that has legal basis says so or failure to do so exposes your organization to potential liability should something go wrong.

Some equipment or apparatus may be scheduled to be replaced on a regular basis due to your organization’s experience. An example might be extrication equipment. Occasionally, a department may choose not to replace equipment all at once, but partially to balance the need with the ability to pay. This might be the case with turnout gear.

Legal mandates require compliance whether or not you like it. I may not be a big fan of annual fit testing for respiratory protection, but I do it because it is required. I may think that it is a big waste of limited resources for little payback, but that is irrelevant.

Some mandates are such that existing equipment is “grandfathered.” That is, you can continue to use what you have, but when it is replaced, it needs to meet the new standard. In other cases, there can be a time limit on when change needs to occur, which gives you time to plan for the changeover for budgeting purposes and any consideration that is needed for training.

In most cases, the driving factor is funding. I don’t know of a fire chief who does not want the best protection his department can get, nor do I know of any chief who wants to take an unnecessary liability risk. If there is a blank check, then the new and improved product will be bought.

When money is an object, then there is much to consider. In cases where the mandate is immediate, the chief has little option. Hopefully he/she has built quality relationships that will make it possible to obtain the funding needed.

There are a lot of good ideas and theories on how to change equipment and apparatus to do things better. One of the challenges is to make sure the proposed change will have the desired outcome.

A few years ago Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS) devices were introduced. The theory was that should a firefighter go down and become motionless, an alarm would sound and the firefighter could be found. Sounds good.

In reality the early models had some flaws. As departments purchased the units, more flaws were discovered. The manufacturers made changes, and the devices were improved. In the meantime, the departments that jumped on board immediately were now replacing PASS devices because they were new and improved. And, on top of that, the standards required their use. Somewhere, there are a lot of useless units. We continue to see improvements being made, and departments are still spending money.

Lessons Learned

From this example, one of the lessons that should be learned is that the fire chief, and all department members for that matter, need to evaluate equipment to determine the benefit. There is a tremendous amount of pressure applied to acquire equipment that promises to improve firefighter safety. No one wants to be blamed for failure to consider all the necessary tools to keep firefighters safe.

Regardless, part of the responsibility of the job is to determine what will and won’t work. You also need to figure out the best time to make the purchase. Those who bought the first generation of PASS devices may have a basement full of ineffective devices. Those who waited until some of the issues were fixed may have saved their organization money. But, as with all advances, deciding when to jump on board and catch the next wave is not an exact science.

Continuing on this theme, the NFPA has changed the standards for SCBA. One of the more significant changes is to add integrated PASS devices on the front and back. There have been cases where firefighters have fallen on the unit making it difficult or impossible to hear the alarm.

It seems to be a reasonable change, and the change is not retroactive so departments do not need to replace existing units immediately. When they do, they will need to obtain SCBA that meets the new standard.

The questions that may arise from this will be about when you will need to make the purchase. Some organizations may have programmed funding prior to the change in the standard. Should they postpone the purchase until the standard changes or manufacturers have products that meet the requirements?

Two things should be considered. Will the department be permitted to carry the funding over to future fiscal years to wait until the units are available? If not, then it has no choice and will most likely be forced to buy the units that are available. The other issue to be considered is the service life of your existing units. Has their condition deteriorated to point they’re failing too often? If so, make the change now.

Currently the manufacturers of SCBAs are making the necessary changes to comply with the new standard. If you have no immediate need, it probably is best to wait. All things considered, you will want the most technologically advanced unit in order to provide the highest level of safety for your personnel.

NFPA Compliant

Once NFPA compliant units become available, whatever the product may be, they may all that you can buy. No one is likely to sell anything that does not meet current standards.

Changes in standards applicable to apparatus and equipment can challenge the managers and administrators in the fire department. Assuming you do not have a blank check and you need to gain approval for your budget, you need to convince others outside your industry that the proposed purchases are necessary and in the best interest of the community.

You need to do your homework so you are convinced that it is the right thing to do. Once you believe you are making the right decision, you must be able to convince others to appropriate the funding. You also need to convince your members that the change is good. Remember, not everyone thinks things need to be different.

I still like my old helmet!

Editor’s Note: Richard Marinucci is chief of the Farmington Hills (Mich.) Fire Department, a position he’s held since 1984. He is a past president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and past chairman of the Commission on Chief Fire Officer Designation. In 1999 he served as acting chief operating officer of the U.S. Fire Administration for seven months. He holds three bachelor’s degrees in fire science and administration and has taught extensively.