The Evolution of Firefighter Ppe
FIPT 103
The Evolution of Firefighter PPE
Firefighter PPE has come a long way since the first days of the volunteer firefighter stations. Most firefighters back then responded to fires in whatever they happened to be wearing at the time whether it be regular clothes or old uniforms from their time in the military. Due to the lack of protection most structures often burned to the ground because firefighters fought the fire from outside and interior operations were simply not possible. With the formation of the NFPA, National Fire Codes provided standards to protect firefighters such as “NFPA 1971 Protective Ensemble for Structural Fire Fighting.” As firefighting technology improved, strategies and tactics became more aggressive. With full head to toe PPE, firefighters can now safely respond to numerous types of emergencies and efficiently do their job. In the early days of firefighting it would be that the only emergencies that firefighters would respond to is fires, nowadays that is not the case. In fact the majority of a Fire Department’s calls will be medical aids or medical emergencies. It is not likely that full turnout gear is needed to protect the firefighter from medical hazards and to don such PPE would be a waste of time. Standard Precautions are a set of infection control practices used to prevent transmission of diseases that can be acquired by contact with blood, body fluids, non-intact skin (including rashes) and mucous membranes. These measures are to be used when providing care to all individuals whether or not they appear to be infectious or symptomatic. Standard Precautions should always be taken such as latex gloves, EMS or protective eyewear, HEPA masks if contagious airborne diseases are present and isolation gowns if highly contagious diseases are present. Latex gloves should be worn on all medical aids whether obvious threats are present or not. Safety glasses are also required on all medical aids to prevent splashing of blood or vomitus
The Evolution of Firefighter PPE
Firefighter PPE has come a long way since the first days of the volunteer firefighter stations. Most firefighters back then responded to fires in whatever they happened to be wearing at the time whether it be regular clothes or old uniforms from their time in the military. Due to the lack of protection most structures often burned to the ground because firefighters fought the fire from outside and interior operations were simply not possible. With the formation of the NFPA, National Fire Codes provided standards to protect firefighters such as “NFPA 1971 Protective Ensemble for Structural Fire Fighting.” As firefighting technology improved, strategies and tactics became more aggressive. With full head to toe PPE, firefighters can now safely respond to numerous types of emergencies and efficiently do their job. In the early days of firefighting it would be that the only emergencies that firefighters would respond to is fires, nowadays that is not the case. In fact the majority of a Fire Department’s calls will be medical aids or medical emergencies. It is not likely that full turnout gear is needed to protect the firefighter from medical hazards and to don such PPE would be a waste of time. Standard Precautions are a set of infection control practices used to prevent transmission of diseases that can be acquired by contact with blood, body fluids, non-intact skin (including rashes) and mucous membranes. These measures are to be used when providing care to all individuals whether or not they appear to be infectious or symptomatic. Standard Precautions should always be taken such as latex gloves, EMS or protective eyewear, HEPA masks if contagious airborne diseases are present and isolation gowns if highly contagious diseases are present. Latex gloves should be worn on all medical aids whether obvious threats are present or not. Safety glasses are also required on all medical aids to prevent splashing of blood or vomitus