Keeping It Safe Robert Tutterow
Is it time for designated fire department personal protective equipment (PPE) technicians who are trained, educated, and certified to an industry standard? I think the answer is yes.
PPE has always been a critical part of firefighting. However, it is only in the past few years that it has been getting the focus it needs. The emerging knowledge about contaminants and the subsequent cancer rates bring a logical spotlight on PPE. Think about it—we already have firefighter I, firefighter II, driver/operator, EMT, paramedic, investigator, inspector, and other qualification requirements. We have certifications for emergency vehicle technician, health and safety officer, incident scene safety officer, traffic incident management person, and other tasks designed around a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard and tested to through the Pro Board.
Only a few fire departments have robust PPE programs that include selection, cleaning, repair, storage, and retirement. There is no doubt these departments have one or more people who have passionately engaged in learning as much as they can about PPE—the last line of defense in protecting firefighters from hazards that cannot be controlled any other way. But, what about the other fire departments? Their commitment to a “real” PPE program varies greatly. Unfortunately, far too many departments have no semblance of a PPE program, as evidenced by many of the photos we all see.
PPE Technician Criteria
What would PPE technicians be knowledgeable and skilled about? A high-quality course description would be comprehensive with areas including understanding the components, the limitations, how to write specifications, how to fit, how to clean, how to dry, how to inspect, how to store, when to retire, and how to educate department members on the proper care of PPE. A PPE technician must be well-versed in NFPA and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. And, the focus must extend beyond the default discussion about coats and pants to include helmets, hoods, gloves, footwear, station work uniforms, self-contained breathing apparatus, wildland, and technical rescue PPE.
Who would be PPE technicians? The training and education should include PPE committee members, those responsible for the care and maintenance of PPE, PPE program managers, the health and safety officers, and senior management. This position would be a supervisory/managerial role. I think anyone aspiring to senior management roles would have an inside track if they had been certified PPE technicians.
Some fire departments might say there is no need for PPE technicians because their personnel are trained by the PPE manufacturer from whom they purchase PPE. But let’s be honest, what kind of training is that? Is there testing on the curriculum? If so, does anyone ever fail? I suggest that such training, while of some value, is basically a “participation trophy.”
As the world of contamination and PPE evolves, it is clear that the more we know, the more we realize we need to know. The per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) issue is an ideal example. And, stated another way, “we don’t know what we don’t know.” New information about PPE is coming at us at an accelerating rate. It is imperative that fire departments have personnel who get up to speed and remain up to speed about the PPE world. We now know our PPE can be a health hazard if not properly maintained.
It is my opinion that if we, the fire service, are going to take contamination control with the subsequent related cancers as seriously as we should, then developing PPE technician qualifications is a must. As a service, we hold our PPE manufacturers to very strict standards, and their products must be certified to those standards by a third-party agency such as UL or SEI. It is only reasonable, and I say expected, that we hold ourselves accountable for the proper care of our PPE.
After all, we are talking about protecting every department’s most valuable assets.
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.).
