By Groves Incorporated

In 2014, NFPA 1851 was established to set requirements for the proper selection, care, and maintenance of firefighting protective gear to reduce health and safety risks associated with improper maintenance, contamination, or damage. Sections 6.1 through 10.1.1 detail procedures for inspecting, cleaning, repair, storage and eventual retirement of PPE. While these regulations are clear and to the point, sometimes firehouse culture and traditions can get in the way of common sense safety.

The days of being a “smoke eater” fighting a fire without SCBA are long gone and for good reason; breathing in smoke is inherently bad for you. The same is true of wearing soiled PPE. It’s not a badge of honor or courage—it’s a serious health risk. Multiple studies have found that soiled PPE can be impregnated with an extremely dangerous cocktail of hazardous chemicals and known carcinogens. Studies by the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) have also determined that accumulated soot on PPE can: 

• Diminish its ability to reflect radiant heat.
• Make it increasingly ignitable.
• Reduce its ability to repel water.
• Increase its electrical conductivity.
• Weaken the fabric making it susceptible tears and punctures.

Clearly, the case for clean gear is settled, so the best thing you can do is to carefully follow the regulations set forth in NFPA 1851. Adhering to them will help to protect you from exposure to harmful contaminants and known carcinogens which may be present on your gear after use. In doing so, you will also have the added benefit of extending the service life of your equipment. 

Whose job is it? It depends on the level of soiling. A key thing to understand is how NFPA 1851 details a department’s responsibilities:

• 7.1.1: Organizations shall provide a means for having ensemble elements cleaned and decontaminated.

You must understand, however, that PPE is PERSONAL and it is your life on the line. To that end, NFPA 1851 states:

• 7.2.1: The end users shall be responsible for the routine cleaning of their issued ensemble and ensemble elements.

Routine cleaning is defined as simple brushing to remove dry debris, rinsing with a water hose, and spot cleaning with a soft bristle brush. Should the PPE be heavily soiled, sections 7.2.2 through 7.3.1.1 offer guidance for advanced cleaning, which must be done by a verified Independent Service Provider (ISP) or trained department personnel:

• 7.2.2: Organizations shall examine the manufacturer’s label and user information for instructions on cleaning and drying that the manufacturer provided with the ensemble or ensemble element. In the absence of manufacturer’s instructions or manufacturer’s approval of alternative procedures for the ensemble or ensemble element, the routine cleaning and drying procedures provided in this section shall be used.
• 7.3.1: Advanced cleaning shall be performed by a verified ISP or the organization’s trained personnel.
• 7.3.1.1 The advanced cleaning shall be managed by a member of the organization or conducted by members of the organization who have received training in the advanced cleaning of protective ensembles and ensemble elements. The ensemble or ensemble element manufacturer and the organization shall determine the level of training required to perform advanced cleaning. The ensemble or ensemble element manufacturer shall provide written verification of training.

Advanced cleaning is typically carried out in a commerc

Achieve full NFPA compliance, upkeep of all SCBA and PPE gear, and immediate documentation support doing less work than you are now—all without any major cost, time, expenditure, or disruption.

PSTrax, the cloud-based vehicle and station-check solution that has logged more than 25 million vehicle and station checks in fire stations across the country, announces the rollout of comprehensive SCBA and PPE check systems as part of a one-stop shop integrating all four check areas into one system. These new modules complement the company’s easy-to-deploy and use, affordable system accessible from any Toughbook, tablet, smartphone, desktop, or other Internet-enabled device.

For $5 per cylinder plus pack per year, SCBA checks track the full history of SCBA from purchase to retirement. Log inspections, replacement, and repairs for every pack, cylinder, mask and regulator—including expiration and hydrostatic test date alerts.

For $12 per user per year, PPE Tracking provides a full history of PPE gear from purchase to retirement. PPE Tracking logs inspections, cleanings, repairs and replacement for each set of turnout gear—from helmets to boots—and includes expiration date alerts.

The new modules complement existing vehicle checks (frontline apparatus, reserve apparatus, medic units, support vehicles, ladder/hose/pump testing, associated equipment and inventories) and station checks (supplies, chore schedules, specialty equipment, EMS inventories, facilities maintenance).

Among the proven benefits of PSTrax are:

• No technology terrors. Give PSTrax the items to include. It will upload, set up, train you to use it (very user-friendly), then update and maintain. (If you want to do some/all of your own uploading of additional items, PSTrax provides total support.).
• Total tracking. Right down to daily tracking of masks and air bottles, the system makes sure that all needed checks are accounted for, issues alerts when needed, and documents repairs/updates when they’re made.
• Compliance. The system includes various inspection checklists that conform to relevant NFPA 1911, 1932, 1851, and 1852 guidelines, or use your own.
• Immediate documentation. Pull up the entire history of an air bottle (and anything else) at the touch of a button. If somebody gets hurt, PSTrax ensures that all pertinent records can be quickly accessed to show the maintenance history of any gear involved, including last inspection. When ambulance-chasing attorneys or department/regulatory personnel make a “surprise” visit, give them what they need right away. There’s no extra work or time-consuming compilation by hand of needed (and potentially incomplete) records.
• Track unscheduled maintenance. Besides regular checks and preventive maintenance, PSTrax can log an incident (e.g., presence of toxic substance on PPE after a call) and action taken to solve the problem and provide a ready history upon request;
• Budget 18 months ahead. PSTrax gives you the ability to project end of service life (expiration) dates, and supplies a complete report—vs. the meticulous process of trying to compile all needed information by hand.

Fred Windisch, chief of the Ponderosa (TX) Fire Department, offers an assessment echoed by fire chiefs across the country. “PSTrax allows us to do a fabulous follow-up on every single thing that we do,” he says. “We are true fans—it's affordable, it's easy, and I appreciate this company's su