(FFPE) with Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Rescue

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that responders and victims exiting the rescue scene will immediately undergo a water-based (high-volume, low-pressure) decontamination. The concepts outlined in this report are neither mandated nor required procedures for first responders arriving on the scene of a chemical terrorism incident. Rather, they are presented to provide an assessment of the protection afforded by firefighter structural turnout gear and SCBA and the possible risks associated with firefighters entering an area where a terrorist has released chemical agents. The information provided in this report is based on the results of testing with chemicals that simulate known characteristics of specific chemical agents. This report suggests restrictions for operating in vapor hazards resulting from a terrorist attack involving the release of chemical warfare agents. In an actual incident, first responders possibly will operate in a hazardous environment as long as the incident requires, their SCBA air supply lasts, and they remain capable, within the constraints of local command policy. These operational restrictions do not replace such command policy or lawful orders, however, they can be used to develop command policy or assist the Incident Commander in identifying the risks of initial reconnaissance in unknown contamination and quick rescue of victims who have survived a chemical agent release. Testing was performed on a limited number of the many turnout gear configurations and styles that are available to firefighters. Fire departments participating in the tests considered the configurations and styles tested to be a good representation of turnout gear used throughout the country. Other configurations and styles of turnout gear may offer different amounts of protection. Using turnout gear and SCBA, while rescuing known live, viable victims in a chemical agent environment, does not justify performing hazardous material operations, such as agent detection, identification, or mitigation procedures, in other than the appropriate level of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the estimated hazard. It is up to each jurisdiction, and/or the Incident Commander on the scene, to determine what actions can be taken when first responders discover surviving, but incapacitated, victims of a possible chemical hazard. To make a valid risk assessment for performing casualty rescue, jurisdictions and Incident Commanders should know the risk of physiological effects that firefighters might experience, as a result of exposures received while using turnout gear and SCBA to rescue victims in a chemical agent environment. Under the operational restriction outlined in this report, the risk is that half of firefighters possibly will experience threshold effects for chemical agent exposure. In 2002, NIOSH established a standard for SCBA systems for use in a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) environment. Agent vapor challenge concentrations from this standard are applied in this report. However, FFPE and SCBA protection levels used herein are from the original testing; equipment testing has not been repeated. The hazard awareness offered herein and test data used to determine the protection afforded by FFPE and SCBA do not indicate or imply that the equipment complies with the recently developed NIOSH CBRN SCBA standard. vi
Future Research Activities SBCCOM laboratory research and investigations continue to address further emergency responder hazards, including hazards associated with liquid contact on firefighter protective clothing. This additional effort will better define overall risks of using FFPE based on both vapor and liquid contamination hazards. In 2002, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) initiated “Project HEROES” (Homeland Emergency Response Operational and Equipment Systems) to capitalize on the technological advances of the last 20 years as well as emerging technologies. The project goal is to develop new firefighter personal protective clothing and equipment that will save lives, reduce injuries, and safely increase the work capacity of firefighters engaged in high-risk operations in extreme environments. The Project HEROES ensemble will optimize the firefighter’s protective equipment for all homeland emergency responses, which could include structural firefighting, search and rescue, and industrial hazardous materials, biological materials and other weapons of mass destruction response. Project HEROES will conduct research as well as develop, integrate, evaluate and accelerate the use of advanced, emerging, and future protective technologies (clothing, equipment, electronics, and integrated systems) through the establishment of a multidisciplinary team of fire service, academic, private sector, and governmental entities. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, the U.S. Army SBCCOM Edgewood Chemical/Biological Center, the SBCCOM Natick Soldier Center – National Protection Center (NPC), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Technical Support Working Group (TSWG), are among those participating in this effort. An electronic copy of this report can be obtained from the following Web site: http://www.ecbc.army.mil/hld/ip/reports.htm vii
Page 2 and 3: Disclaimer The findings in this rep
Page 4 and 5: performing rescue of victims from a
Page 8 and 9: Acknowledgements The authors gratef
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Page 12 and 13: • Howard County (MD) • Washingt
Page 14 and 15: WARNING Even small amounts (several
Page 16 and 17: clothing tested used PTFE moisture
Page 18 and 19: 30-Minute Rescue in a GB Environmen
Page 20 and 21: With nerve agents, the presence or
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Page 24 and 25: WARNING When using PPV or increasin
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Page 32 and 33: Key Factors and Steps to Help Decid
Page 34 and 35: so. Based on chemical warfare agent
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(FFPE) with Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Rescue

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