Protective Clothing

Street Clothing and Work Uniforms

These garments, such as uniforms worn by police and emergency medical services personnel, provide almost no protection from the harmful effects of hazardous materials/dangerous goods.

Structural Firefighters' Protective Clothing (SFPC)

This category of clothing, often called turnout or bunker gear, is the protective clothing firefighters normally wear during structural firefighting operations. It includes a helmet, coat, pants, boots, gloves and a hood to cover parts of the head that are not protected by the helmet and facepiece. It can be used with full-facepiece positive pressure self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). It should, at minimum, meet the OSHA Fire Brigades Standard (29 CFR 1910.156) or NFPA 1851.

Structural firefighters' protective clothing provides limited protection from heat and cold. It may not provide adequate protection from harmful vapors or liquids encountered during hazardous materials/dangerous goods incidents.

Each guide includes a statement about the use of SFPC in incidents involving the materials referenced by that guide. Some guides state that SFPC provides limited protection. In those cases, the responder wearing SFPC and SCBA may be able to perform a quick "in-and-out" operation. However, this type of operation can place the responder at risk of exposure, injury or death. The incident commander makes the decision to do this only if there is an overriding benefit (for example, to perform an immediate rescue, turn off a valve to control a leak, etc.).

Please note that the coverall-type protective clothing customarily worn to fight fires in forests or wildlands is not SFPC and is not recommended nor referred to elsewhere in this guidebook.

Positive Pressure Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA)

This apparatus provides a constant, positive pressure flow of air within the facepiece.

You should always use an SCBA certified by NIOSH and the Department of Labor/Mine Safety and Health Administration, in accordance with:

42 CFR Part 84
Requirements for respiratory protection specified in OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134 (Respiratory Protection) and/or 29 CFR 1910.156 (f) (Fire Brigades Standard)
NFPA 1852

Chemical-cartridge respirators or other filtering masks are not acceptable substitutes for positive pressure SCBA. Demand-type SCBA does not meet the OSHA 29 CFR 1910.156 (f)(1)(i) of the Fire Brigades Standard.

Respirators

If you suspect a chemical warfare agent is involved in an incident, use NIOSH-certified respirators with CBRN protection.

N95 respirators are the most common of the seven types of particulate filtering facepiece respirators. This product filters at least 95% of airborne particles (0.3 microns), but is not resistant to oil. N95 filtering facepiece respirators do not protect against gases and vapors.
Powered air-purifying respirators (PAPR) force ambient air through the air-purifying cartridge or filter into the facepiece. A PAPR does not supply oxygen or air from a separate source (e.g., cylinders).

Chemical Protective Clothing and Equipment

For you to safely use this type of protective clothing and equipment, you need specific skills developed through training and experience. This type of special clothing may protect against one chemical but be readily permeated by chemicals for which it was not designed. Therefore, do not use this type of protective clothing unless it is compatible with the released material. Also, be aware that it offers little or no protection against heat and/or cold.

Examples of this type of equipment have been described as:

Vapor Protective Suits (NFPA 1991), also known as Totally-Encapsulating Chemical Protective Suits or Level A protection (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120, Appendix A & B)
Liquid-Splash Protective Suits (NFPA 1992), also known as Level B or C protection (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120, Appendix A & B), or suits for chemical/biological terrorism incidents (NFPA 1994), class 1, 2 or 3 Ensembles and Standard CAN/CGSB/CSA-Z1610-11 – Protection of first responders from chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) events

No single protective clothing material will protect you from all hazardous materials/dangerous goods. Do not assume any protective clothing is resistant to cold and/or heat or flame exposure, unless certified by the manufacturer (NFPA 1991 5-3 Flammability Resistance Test and 5-6 Cold Temperature Performance Test).