In late February, the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Division approved standards for first responder PPE and radiological and nuclear detection devices.

The Science and Technology division serves as the DHS's primary research and development arm. DHS said the standards are designed to assist federal agencies, state and local officials and manufacturers in procurement decisions for this equipment.

Alan Caldwell, government relations director for the International Association of Fire Chiefs, said, “The standards will help with interoperability, which is what DHS is all about…. Safety is also an issue. They're trying to ensure that departments are getting something that's actually usable. And it helps to make sure the charlatans out there are kept somewhat at bay so that you're not buying inappropriate items with federal dollars.”

See DHS's equipment standards page online (currently at www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?theme=53&content=3292) for more information and updates.

PPE standards from the National Fire Protection Association are available online in read-only format at www.nfpa.org; NIOSH standards are available free online at www.cdc.gov/niosh. The standards address CBRN requirements for SCBA, full-face-piece air-purifying respirators, APR escape respirators, and protective ensembles.

The standards on detectors are available from IEEE at www.ieee.org and from ANSI at webstore.ansi.org. The guidelines provide performance standards and test methods, as well as minimum characteristics for four classes of radiation detection equipment, ranging from handheld alarming detectors to radiation portal monitors for cargo containers.

According to DHS, officials receiving grants through the Office of Domestic Preparedness must use these standards for technical guidance.