NOTE: The PA Bureau of Forestry
recommends that firefighters be prepared to be self sufficient
for 24 hours in the field. Equipment and supplies brought to
the fireline should be consistent with this requirement.
Wildland Firefighting Standard on
Clothing and Protective Equipment
Document
Number: 334
The National
Fire Protection Association (NFPA) was asked to come up with
a standard on clothing and protective equipment worn during
firefighting while on wildland firefighting operations. The
NFPA formed a committee in 1989 to look into establishing a
standard for this equipment. The goal of this standard was
to provide thermal protection for the wildland firefighter
against external heat sources with flame-resistant clothing
and equipment, while not inducing an extraordinary internal
heat stress load. NFPA reached this goal after research
showed the majority of injuries to wildland firefighters
were due to heat stress.
This standard encompasses the clothing and protective
apparel worn during normal exposure limits.
The standard
states the minimum design, performance, testing and
certification requirements for protective clothing, helmets,
gloves, footwear, face/neck shroud, cold weather outerwear,
chainsaw protectors, load carrying equipment and goggles
that are designed to protect firefighters during a wildland
firefighting operation. Also written into the 2005 edition
are the optional visibility standards for the clothing.
Every product
that is used for wildland firefighting must be labeled as
such and contain all pertinent information regarding that
product. The following label must be attached to the article
of personal protective equipment:
“THIS WILDLAND FIRE-FIGHTING
PROTECTIVE (GARMENT, HELMET, GLOVE, FOOTWEAR, FACE/NECK
SHROUD, CHAINSAW PROTECTOR, or LOAD CARRYING EQUIPMENT)
MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS OF NFPA 1977, STANDARD ON PROTECTIVE
CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT FOR WILDLAND FIRE FIGHTING, 2005
EDITION. DO NOT REMOVE THIS LABEL”
Goggles must bear this statement:
“THIS WILDLAND FIRE-FIGHTING
PROTECTIVE GOGGLE MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS OF NFPA 1977,
STANDARD ON PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT FOR WILDLAND
FIRE FIGHTING, 2005 EDITION”
In addition the manufacturer must provide the following
information to be written on the label:
-
Manufacturer’s name, identification, or designation
-
Manufacturer’s address
- Country of
Manufacture
-
Manufacturer’s (garment, helmet, glove, footwear, or
face/neck shroud) identification number, lot number, or
serial number
- Month and
year of manufacture (not coded)
- Model or
style name, number, or design
- Size or
size range
- Garment
materials and percent content/Nominal weight of the helmet
(this is only for garments and helmets)
- Cleaning
precautions
The goggle
and the protective face/shroud information are different.
The manufacturer must provide the following for the
face/shroud:
-
Manufacturer’s name, identification, or designation
-
Manufacturer’s address
-
Manufacture’s identification number, lot number, or serial
number
- Date of
manufacture (not coded)
-
Identification of the compliant helmet or helmets with
which the face/shroud was certified
The
manufacturer of the goggles must provide the following
information:
-
Manufacturer’s name, identification, or designation
-
Manufacturer’s address
- Date of
manufacture (not coded)
- Cleaning
instructions and precautions
The
manufacturer must also provide the user the following
information:
- Pre-use
information
-
Preparation for use
- Inspection
frequency and details
- Don/doff
- Proper use
consistent with NFPA 1500, Standard on Fire Department
Occupational Safety and Health Program, and Title 29,
Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1910.132,
“Personal Protective Equipment” (this is not needed for
chainsaw protectors)
-
Maintenance and cleaning (this is not needed for chainsaw
protectors)
- Retirement
and disposal criteria and considerations
For all of
the above personal protective items, the appropriate sizing
charts and conversion tables, where applicable, must be
provided to the purchaser from the manufacturer upon
request.
A number of
design requirements, specific to each item, are also stated
in the standard. The type of thread, openings and the
associated closures, statements relating to the collar and
cuffs of a garment, all fasteners and zippers, and what part
of the garment is allowed to come into contact with the user
are just some examples of the detail covered in the
standard.
All of the personal protective equipment that is covered
under this standard must pass a battery of tests. In order
to be certified the testing and certification of these items
is completed by an independent testing agency. Any item, or
part of that item, that does not meet the requirements will
not be certified under this standard.
All of the
personal protective equipment is subjected to
preconditioning. This is set up so all of the equipment is
at the same temperature, humidity level, and etc. so that
the standard can be applied equally to all manufacturers.
The garments
and face/neck shroud is then put through the following
tests:
- Radiant
protective performance test
- Flame
resistance test
- Heat and
thermal shrinkage resistance test
- Total heat
loss test (not for face/shroud)
- Tear
resistance test
- Burst
strength test
- Cleaning
shrinkage resistance test
- Seam
breakage strength test
- Thread
heat resistance test
- Label
durability and legibility test one
-
Retroreflectivity
and fluorescence test, if applicable (not for face/shroud)
And the
helmet goes through the following tests:
- Thread
heat resistance test
- Top impact
resistance test
- Helmet
physical penetration resistance test
- Helmet
antiglare flammability test
- Heat and
thermal shrinkage resistance test
- Suspension
system retention test
-
Retroreflectivity
and fluorescence test
- Retention
system test
- Goggle and
headlamp clip attachment test
- Label
durability and legibility test two
The gloves
must pass the following tests:
- Heat and
thermal shrinkage resistance test
- Protective
glove flame resistance test
- Conductive
heat resistance test
- Thermal
protective performance test
- Dexterity
test
- Grip test
- Label
durability and legibility test one
- Thread
heat resistance test
Glove and
footwear are put through these tests:
- Cut
resistance test
- Puncture
resistance test
Footwear is
put through the following tests:
- Heat and
thermal shrinkage resistance test
- Corrosion
resistance test
- Footwear
conductive heat resistance test
- Eyelet and
stud post attachment test
- Protective
footwear abrasion test
- Flame
resistance test for footwear
- Label
durability and legibility test one
- Thread
heat resistance test
Protective
goggles must meet the following tests:
- Heat and
thermal shrinkage resistance test
- Thread
heat resistance test
Chainsaw
protector must meet the following performance requirements:
- Chainsaw
cut resistance test
- Heat and
thermal shrinkage resistance test
- Thread
heat resistance test
Load carrying
protective equipment must meet the following performance
requirements:
- Heat and
thermal shrinkage resistance test
- Thread
heat resistance test
-
Retroreflectivity and fluorescence test
As one can
see, these pieces of personal protective equipment are put
through numerous tests to ensure maximum safety of our
wildland firefighters.
This is a
summary of NFPA 1977, edition 2005, for complete information
please consult the National Fire Protection Association.
www.nfpa.org
