|
City of Charlottesville, VA Fire
Department
|
| Chapter: | IV - General Administration |
| Subject: | Protective Clothing |
| Code: | 1-IV-2 |
| Revised: | 6-10-96 |
To provide policy and guidelines relative to the proper
personal protection, in the form of protective clothing, to all
Fire Department members exposed to dangerous situations and
hazardous atmospheres and/or environments.
A. Fire Department members shall utilize and wear protective
clothing and safety gear as prescribed by those policies
and procedures contained herein.
B. Use of protective clothing as defined and prescribed within
this policy shall be considered mandatory during emergency
operations and/or whenever the chance or risk of personal
injury to Fire Department members may exist.
C. The Fire Department shall provide its members with the
proper type of approved protective clothing which is
currently available in the safety clothing market.
D. All protective clothing shall be inspected every two (2)
months. Charlottesville Fire Department Form #46 shall be
completed and forwarded to the Deputy Fire Chief upon
completion.
A. Fire Battalion Chiefs have the overall responsibility to
insure that the members of their shifts abide by Fire
Department policies regarding the use of protective
clothing.
B. All Fire Department members are directly responsible for
their personal safety and shall utilize proper protective
clothing as prescribed within this policy.
All Fire Department personnel shall wear and utilize full
protective clothing as defined herein.
Full Protective Clothing
A. Helmet
B. Gloves
C. Turnout coat.
D. Hood
E. Turnout pants (with suspenders).
F. Turnout boots - short (night) boots.
G. Hearing Protectors
H. MSA Facepiece and Bag
A. Emergency Operations:
l. Personnel actively engaged in fire fighting shall wear
full protective gear. Any person without proper gear
shall not enter the fire building or engage themselves
in activities in the immediate area. If the fire
building or adjoining buildings are deemed safe by the
officer in charge, individuals (Fire Fighters and
civilians) may be permitted to enter.
2. All members shall wear and utilize appropriate clothing
during emergency operations.
3. Members shall not remove their protective clothing
until such time as their Company Officer or the
officer-in-charge determines that such protection is no
longer necessary or that a reduced level of protective
clothing will be sufficient.
4. If, in their opinion, operating conditions warrant a
change, Company Officers may increase or decrease the
level of protective clothing which is required for
themselves and their personnel, but the responsibility
to protect their personnel from injury remains with
that officer.
5. If, during multiple company operations, the Incident
Commander specifies a certain level of protective
clothing, then Company Officers shall not decrease that
level for themselves or their personnel unless they are
given permission to do so by the Incident Commander.
B. During alarm response:
l. Members responding in or on fire apparatus shall wear
their protective clothing.
2. Operators are not required to wear their protective
clothing while driving. After arriving on the
fireground and after performing all essential emergency
operations, operators must put on their protective
clothing.
3. Those members responding to alarms in enclosed
vehicles, or partially enclosed apparatus, are not
required to wear helmets during response but must have
all their assigned protective clothing available once
they reach the scene.
4. If, during a response to an alarm, an unusual condition
or hazard presents itself, the Company Officer may, at
his/her discretion, order all personnel, including
drivers, into any level of protective clothing which
may be necessary to protect said personnel from injury
or death.
C. During training:
l. Members engaged in training sessions shall wear full
protective clothing.
2. Officers or members conducting training sessions are
responsible to insure that adequate protective clothing
is utilized properly by all personnel involved. Full
protective clothing shall be worn during simulated
hazardous environments.
3. When on driver's training, the protective clothing to
be worn by those participating in the exercise shall be
at the discretion of the Company Officer.
D. Routine operations:
l. Members involved shall use appropriate safety gear
and/or protective clothing when engaged in routine
activities which may present a personal safety hazard.
If members have questions regarding the need for safety
gear for such routine activities or if they wish to
obtain said gear, they shall contact their immediate
supervisor prior to beginning said activities.
2. Members involved in fire company inspections or
pre-planning activities or tours shall, when necessary,
wear proper and adequate protective clothing during
such inspections, activities, or tours, so as to
provide protection from any hazard which may be present
in the area.
3. Members involved in fire company inspections, tours, or
pre-planning activities shall, when not wearing it,
have full protective clothing available should the need
for it arise.
4. When working around the hose tower or around a charged
hose that is being tested, all members shall wear
protective helmets.
E. Maintenance:
l. All safety gear such as goggles, breathing apparatus,
etc., shall be cleaned and maintained in accordance
with the manufacturer's instruct- ions and departmental
policy.
2. All protective clothing such as turnout clothing,
helmets, safety boots, work shirts, jackets, and pants
shall be maintained in accordance with the
manufacturer's instructions and departmental policy.
3. All protective clothing will be cleaned on a regular
basis as determined by the Shift's Fire Battalion
Chief.
4. Protective clothing with small holes or rips are not to
be considered needing replacement unless there is a
considerable number of them.
5. All helmets are required to have all designations and
safety stripes as required by the department.
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