1059.18.01 Decontamination of PPE, Tools and Apparatus.pdf

Bonita Springs Fire Control and Rescue District Standard Operating Guidelines 1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1. Subject: # 1059.18.01 Decontamination of PPE, Tools and Apparatus after IDLH Adopted: Effective Date: February 2018 Last Revised Date: November 2023 Revision Number: 2 Due for Revision Date: No...

Bonita Springs Fire Control and Rescue District Standard Operating Guidelines 1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1. Subject: # 1059.18.01 Decontamination of PPE, Tools and Apparatus after IDLH Adopted: Effective Date: February 2018 Last Revised Date: November 2023 Revision Number: 2 Due for Revision Date: November 2026 Table of Contents 1059.18.01 Purpose 1059.18.02 Scope 1059.18.03 Overview 1059.18.04 Procedure 1059.18.05 Responsibility Page 1 of 4 1059.18.01 Purpose To establish a procedure whereby every precaution will be taken to decontaminate all personnel, equipment and apparatus following any incident involving hazardous contamination. This guideline will aid in reducing firefighter exposures. 1059.18.02 Scope This Standard Operating Guideline (SOG) shall apply to all fire personnel that made entry into an IDLH environment and/or came into contact with any hazardous contaminate. 1059.18.03 Overview A. All members shall protect themselves and their co-worker’s health and safety by adhering to the following procedures. B. Decontamination may be necessary for exposed or contaminated civilians and/or emergency responders. There are two types of decontamination (emergency/gross decontamination and technical/secondary decontamination). The Incident Commander and/or the Safety Officer will dictate the type of decontamination that is required. C. To provide a systematic decontamination process that will be utilized on all incidents where Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is worn and exposed to hazardous contaminates. This shall include structure fires, brush fires, vehicle fires and/or any training fires and/or any other emergency or non-emergency incident where members have been exposed to any hazardous contaminate. D. All personnel should be aware that isolation or control zones still exist. It is very important to keep in mind that most harmful toxins are colorless odorless gases. Some of those toxins that continue to off gas will not be detected by a gas meter. 1059.18.04 Procedure Gross Decontamination - Post Fire – On Scene A. Gross Decontamination- is recommended to be set up close to the incident to isolate runoff and further exposure. It is the Incident Commander and/or Safety Officers responsibility to establish and oversee the Gross Decontamination area and process. This area shall be designated by deploying an approved decontamination hose line and establishing the area with a designated cone. The Page 2 of 4 hose line shall be a low flow “garden style” nozzle to not embed toxins into any fabrics. a. All personnel that were exposed to products of combustion must perform Gross Decontamination prior to entering rehab or leaving the scene. After exiting the hot zone, it is recommended that crews will remain on air when possible and report directly to the Gross Decontamination area. While remaining on air when possible, personnel shall rinse off debris and products of combustion in a systematic and thorough manner from the collar-line down. Personnel shall be careful to not saturate the inner lining of the PPE. The goal is to keep the PPE operationally dry on the interior but rinsed as clean as possible on the exterior. Soft bristle brushes along with department approved soap/cleaner may be used to facilitate a cleaner process. This process includes Gross Decontamination tools when deemed necessary. b. After rinsing the exterior portion of the PPE, personnel may go off air and begin to doff their PPE. All PPE (including hood), other than bunker pants and fire boots shall be left in a designated drop zone that is located in the warm zone. Once the PPE has been doffed, personnel will use department approved wipes for a gross cleaning of their head, neck, face, hands and any other exposed areas as deemed necessary. B. Reporting to Rehab- all exposed personnel must go through Gross Decontamination prior to Rehab. C. Reporting for an Assignment- Once personnel are cleared from Rehab they are cleared for re-assignment or cleared from the incident. If personnel are assigned a new assignment that involves further exposure, they must go back through Gross Decontamination. D. Release from Scene- To keep the cab of the apparatus as clean as possible and avoid transferring toxins and harmful products back to the fire house, it is extremely important to perform these Gross Decontamination processes prior to leaving the scene. NO PASSPORT TAGS WILL BE RETURNED PRIOR TO THE COMPLETION OF PROPER DECONTAMINATION. a. Once released by command and prior to leaving the scene, all exposed gear shall be bagged, taped closed and put in an outside compartment. This procedure will prevent off gassing to occur into the apparatus cab. b. Every attempt shall be made to place contaminated air packs out of the cab area(s) of the apparatus. All air packs shall be decontaminated at Station 21 in the Solo Rescue decon washer. Page 3 of 4 Decontamination - Post Fire – At the Fire Station A. SHOWERING WITHIN 1 HOUR IS EXPECTED OF ALL CREWS. It is an expectation that all personnel exposed to any contaminate, complete a full personal decontamination as soon as possible after exposure. B. The flowing steps shall be taken immediately upon arrival at the fire station (to include, but not limited to): a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. Take a COLD THEN HOT SHOWER BECOME AVAILABLE ASAP (30-60 min) Perform a more thorough decontamination of equipment Change into back up gear, including clean hood Perform a thorough decontamination of the apparatus cab Return apparatus to a state of readiness Wash all station attire in an approved washing machine After full decontamination of all the equipment and apparatus another (hot) shower is recommended i. All personnel potentially exposed to fire ground toxic contaminates, airborne hazards, dusts, or chemicals shall complete an exposure report 1059.18.05 Responsibility It is the responder’s responsibility to complete the exposure report. Keeping the health of all members first, the Incident Commander and/or the Safety Officer will exercise best judgment and identify those members who have been significantly exposed and must follow these procedures. Page 4 of 4