“Into the Firestorm,” a four-part series on the Discovery Channel, offered the public an inside look at the world of the wildland firefighter. It followed the suppression activities of Hot Shots, smoke jumpers and engine crews in the western United States, and appeared to lack the political correctness that would suggest heavy-handed oversight by agency public relations.

After, there was considerable discussion on at least one of the wildfire chat rooms about the PPE shown in the series: some gas- and oil-soaked; some with sleeves rolled up and gloves off; or the lack of some PPE like a fire shelter. Some folks claimed it was the result of poor leadership, others claimed it just showed how the job is done “in the real world.” I'm not going to get into that debate here; instead I'd like to address where some of the “standards” for wildland fire PPE come from, and why they're important.

The purpose of a standard for anything is to ensure the folks purchasing and using the equipment and clothing can be guaranteed that some measurable minimum criteria are met before they're put into use in potentially life-threatening conditions. The key words here are “measurable” and “minimum.”

For wildland-fire PPE in the United States, standards come from the National Fire Protection Association. NFPA 1977, Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting, was revised in 2005. I had the opportunity to serve on the NFPA 1977 Technical Committee for more than 10 years, including when the first standard was developed and approved in 1993. There are up to 30 members on the committee, representing users, labor unions, manufacturers, independent test labs, researchers and enforcement agencies like OSHA. They try to achieve a balanced representation and to develop the “minimum performance levels” that guide manufacturing and purchasing. There is no attempt to “design” items unless it's critical for safety, such as the loose sleeves on fire shirts that allow for air flow and cooling that reduce heat stress. Without design standards, manufacturers will use less costly material and design tighter sleeves.

Is this process and standard-setting really important? Does it make a difference in our safety on the fireground? Yes, and here's just one example why: In 1991, before the standard for wildland PPE existed, a fire chief bought himself some Nomex overpants for use on wildfires. When he was entrapped and attempted to outrun the flaming front, his Nomex pants came apart at the seams. They had been sewn with nylon thread instead of Nomex, Kevlar or fire-resistant cotton. He suffered third-degree burns to both legs and spent months recovering in a burn center.

How can we as firefighters know that the products we buy and count on for our safety actually meet these criteria? Well, to carry the “NFPA-compliant” label, the manufacturers must send their products to an independent test lab such as Underwriters Laboratories that puts them through the specified tests in the standards to insure they perform to at least the minimum performance levels. Then the product can be sold as meeting the standard.

There are other wildland PPE standards around the world, so wherever you fight fire, be safe: Ensure that your PPE meets the minimum performance standard.

Note: In my May/June 2005 column, I wrote about the lack of criteria to become a Structural Protection Specialist and lamented that, “If you say it often enough and loud enough, you are one!”

I'm pleased that in its latest update to the Fire Quals Handbook (PMS 310-1, issued in January), the NWCG is now requiring that to be a qualified Structure Protection Specialist, an individual must first be a fully qualified division supervisor or Type-3 incident commander. This should help eliminate some of the wannabes who get themselves and their crews in dangerous situations without knowing any better.

Contact the IAWF

International Assn. of Wildland Fire
P.O. Box 261
Hot Springs, S.D.
57747-0261
ph: 605-890-2348
fax: 206-600-5113
iawf@iawfonline.org

To join the IAWF, visit www.iawfonline.org

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Attn: Lisa Allegretti lisa.allegretti@penton.com