5039 Respiratory Protection (safety) Flashcards
Who is responsible for:
1. Administering the TFD Respiratory Protection Program in accordance with
the guidelines set forth in this document
2. Maintaining and updating this policy in accordance with guidelines set
forth in this document
The Administrative Battalion Chief for Safety
Who is responsible for
Keeping records of all training in accordance with the guidelines set forth in this document
TFD Training Division personnel
TFD Fire Garage personnel shall be responsible for
testing, maintaining and repairing air compressor equipment in accordance with the guidelines set forth in this document.
Define
EEBSS.
Emergency Escape Breathing Support System.
Define
Grade D breathing air
Air for SCBA cylinders that meets the following minimum requirements:
• Water vapor level of 24 ppm or less
• 19.5-23.5% oxygen
• Condensed hydrocarbon of no more than 5 mg per cubic meter of air
• CO content of no more than 10 ppm
• CO2 level of no more than 1,000 ppm
Define
MRSA.
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus
Define
Oxygen deficient
An atmosphere that:
• Contains less than 19.5% oxygen by volume OR
• Has a partial pressure of 148 millimeters of mercury or less
Define
Qualitative Fit Test
A pass/fail test to assess the adequacy of respirator fit.
Define
Quantitative Fit Test
An assessment of the adequacy of respirator fit as measured by the amount of leakage into the respirator.
Define
SAR
(Supplied air line respirator). Positive pressure respirator supplied by a NIOSH approved high pressure hose connected to a remote air source.
The Tacoma Fire Department (TFD) shall have in place a written respiratory protection policy in accordance with
WAC 296-305 and
WAC 296-842.
Qualitative and quantitative fit testing for respiratory equipment shall be done in compliance with
WAC 296-842, sections 15005 and 22010.
A TFD employee may use his/her own
Private HCP (health care provider), in lieu of the department provided HCP, for the medical evaluation at his/her own expense
Follow-up medical evaluations shall be conducted every three years or under the following conditions
a. When the employee reports signs or symptoms that are relevant to his/her ability to use a respirator
b. When recommended by a HCP after an initial medical evaluation
c. When requested by the employee’s supervisor and/or the TFD Safety Officer
d. When information obtained from fit testing and/or respiratory program evaluation indicate the need for it
Fit testing
TFD personnel shall use only
the make, model and size respirator for which s/he has been trained and on which s/he has been fit tested within the
previous 12 months.
Fit testing shall be repeated
a. At least every 12 months OR
b. Whenever the employee changes the type of respirator or facepiece that s/he uses OR
c. Whenever the employee has significant physical changes, including but not limited to— i. Weight change of 10% or more ii. Scarring to the facial area iii. Dental changes iv. Cosmetic surgery
TFD shall select for and provide to its personnel NIOSH certified
respiratory protection equipment in compliance with
NFPA 1981, WAC
296-305-04001 and WAC 296-842-13005.
TFD personnel shall use only positive pressure SCBA or air line respirators
(also known as Supplied Air Respirators or SAR) with escape bottles in IDLH (immediately dangerous to life or health) atmospheres
a. Service capacity of the SCBA must exceed 15 minutes and not more than 20% of that air supply can be used for entry
b. The SAR air line must be connected prior to entry into IDLH
atmospheres
SAR shall be equipped with
a. A positive pressure escape bottle with a minimum capacity rating of five minutes
b. A maximum of 300 feet of heavy duty, non-kinking hose approved by NIOSH for this application
When operating in cold weather, TFD personnel shall
Store the mask mounted regulator (MMR) in the STANDBY belt mount
A firefighter must have the following minimum pressure to function as a
donor:
a. 1000 psi in a 2216 rated cylinder
b. 2000 psi in a 4500 rated cylinder
- It is safe and permissible to transfill from a high pressure bottle to a low pressure bottle as they have identical quick fill fittings equipped with a pressure relief valve to prevent over pressurization.
The donor shall immediately notify
The IC of a situation that requires use of
EEBSS, the location and who is involved.
-When notified of the need to use EEBSS, the Incident Commander (IC) shall deploy the Rapid Intervention Crew (RIC) and/or other appropriate resources to provide assistance with air supply and rescue in accordance with TFD Policies 2018 and 2022.
TFD Fire Garage personnel shall perform air quality tests on compressors and cascade systems at least
quarterly AND:
a. Whenever there are major changes or repairs made to a compressor OR
b. Any time there is reason to believe there may be a problem with breathing air quality
TFD personnel who are issued individual SCBA (e.g., administrative and fire prevention personnel) shall
Inspect his/her SCBA weekly and after each use
Generally only the SCBA facepiece requires cleaning after each use with
a. A personal facepiece may be cleaned with warm water and a mild dish soap solution
b. A spare facepiece or a facepiece that has potentially been exposed to infectious agents shall be cleaned and disinfected with the cleaner supplied by the manufacturer
TFD Training Division personnel shall require each employee who uses respiratory equipment to
a. Practice at least quarterly with each type of respirator available for use to include donning and checking for proper function
b. Complete annual training and testing on—
i. Knowledge of and proficiency with SCBA operation
ii. Safety
iii. Facepiece seals
iv. PASS devices
When checking SCBA Make sure cylinder gauge reads no less than
90% of total capacity
-Make sure the harness gauge reading does not exceed the cylinder gauge reading; should be either equal to or no less than 5% of the cylinder gauge reading
When checking SCBA:
Close cylinder valve and watch harness pressure gauge to make sure it doesn’t drop more than
100 psi in 10 seconds
Check PASS for proper operation
Remain motionless for 18 seconds and:
Test the alarm by pressing the switch three times in rapid succession and look for
a. The alarm should enter test mode and then verify functioning of audible and visual alarm indicators as well as battery voltage
Crack the bypass valve slowly to bleed off pressure until the alarm sounds then?
a. Nominal gauge pressure should be:
i. 530 psig for a low pressure system OR
ii. 1175 psig for a high pressure system
When using EEBSS
Equalization of the two SCBA bottles should occur within
60 seconds
If the quick fill fitting leaks excessively when you disconnect the EEBSS hose:
a. Replace the dust cap on the quick fill fitting
b. If you can’t replace the dust cap, reconnect the EEBSS hose
c. If you can’t reconnect the EEBSS hose, close your cylinder valve.
After using EEBSS, use your thumb or forefinger to depress the center of
one of the rubber dust caps to
release the residual pressurized air.
What policy number is
Respiratory Protection
5039
Safety
