WAC 296-305-01005   Definitions.  Unless the context indicates otherwise, words used in this chapter shall have the meaning given in this section.

     Accident: An unexpected event that interrupts or interferes with the orderly progress of the fire department operations and may or may not include personal injury or property damage.

     Accountability system: A system of fire fighter accountability that provides for the tracking and inventory of all members.

     ACGIH: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists.

     Aerial ladder: A ladder mounted on top of an apparatus, hydraulic or pneumatic controlled.

     Aerial tower: Telescopic elevating platform or water tower assembly usually with a ladder on top of the section.

     Aerial platform: A device consisting of two or more booms or sections with a passenger carrying platform assembly.

     ANSI: American National Standards Institute.

     Apparatus: A mobile piece of fire equipment such as a pumper, aerial, tender, automobile, etc.

     Approved:

     (1) A method, equipment, procedure, practice, tool, etc., which is sanctioned, consented to, confirmed or accepted as good or satisfactory for a particular purpose or use by a person, or organization authorized to make such a judgment.

     (2) Means approved by the director of the department of labor and industries or his/her authorized representative: Provided, however, That should a provision of this chapter state that approval by an agency or organization other than the department of labor and industries is required, such as Underwriters' Laboratories or the Bureau of Mines, the provisions of chapter 296-800 WAC shall apply.

     Audiogram: A chart, graph, or table resulting from an audiometric test showing an individual's hearing threshold levels as a function of frequency.

     Authorized person: A person approved or assigned by the employer to perform a specific type of duty or duties or to be at a specific location or locations at the job site.

     Beacon: A flashing or rotating light.

     Bloodborne pathogens: Pathogenic microorganisms that are present in human blood and can cause disease in humans. These pathogens include, but are not limited to, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

     Blowup (wildfire): Sudden increase in fire intensity or rate of spread sufficient to preclude direct control or to upset existing control plans. Often accompanied by violent convection and may have other characteristics of a fire storm.

     Chemical-protective clothing: Items made from chemical-resistive materials, such as clothing, hood, boots, and gloves, that are designed and configured to protect the wearer's torso, head, arms, legs, hands, and feet from hazardous materials. Chemical-protective clothing (garments) can be constructed as a single, or multipiece, garment. The garment may completely enclose the wearer either by itself or in combination with the wearer's respiratory protection, attached or detachable hood, gloves, and boots.

     Chief: The employer representative highest in rank who is responsible for the fire department's operation.

     Combat scene: The site where the suppression of a fire or emergency exists.

     Confinement: Those procedures taken to keep a material in a defined or local area.

     Confined space: Means a space that:

     (1) Is large enough and so configured that an employee can bodily enter and perform assigned work; and

     (2) Has limited or restricted means for entry or exit (for example, tanks, vessels, silos, storage bins, hoppers, vaults, and pits are spaces that may have limited means of entry.); and

     (3) Is not designed for continuous employee occupancy.

     Containment: The actions taken to keep a material in its container (e.g. stop the release of the material or reduce the amount being released.)

     Contaminated: The presence or the reasonably anticipated presence of nuisance materials foreign to the normal atmospheres, blood, hazardous waste, or other potentially infectious materials on an item or surface.

     Contaminated laundry: Laundry which has been soiled with blood or other potentially infectious materials or may contain contaminated sharps.

     Contamination: The process of transferring a hazardous material from its source to people, animals, the environment, or equipment, which may act as a carrier.

     dBA: A measure of noise level expressed as decibels measured on the "A" scale.

     Deck pipe: A permanently mounted device which delivers a large stream of water.

     Decontamination:

     (1) The physical or chemical process of reducing and preventing the spread of contamination from persons or equipment used at a hazardous materials incident.

     (2) The use of physical or chemical means to remove, inactivate, or destroy bloodborne pathogens on a surface or item to the point where they are no longer capable of transmitting infectious particles and the surface or item is rendered safe for handling, use, or disposal.

     Department: Department of labor and industries.

     Director of fire department: The chief or principle administrator of the fire department.

     Director: The director of the department of labor and industries, or his/her designated representative.

     Disinfection: A procedure which inactivates virtually all recognized pathogenic microorganisms, but not necessarily all microbial forms (example: bacterial endospores) on inanimate objects.

     Drill tower: A structure which may or may not be attached to the station and which is principally used for training fire fighters in fire service techniques.

     Driver: A person having satisfactorily completed the fire department's "requirements of driver" of a specific piece of fire apparatus.

     Emergency: A sudden and unexpected event calling for immediate action.

     Emergency incident: A specific emergency operation.

     Emergency medical care: The provision of treatment to, and/or transportation of, patients which may include first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, basic life support, advanced life support, and other medical procedures that occur prior to arrival at a hospital or other health care facility.

     Emergency operations: Activities of the fire department relating to rescue, fire suppression, emergency medical care, and special operations, including response to the scene of an incident and all functions performed at the scene.

     Employee: An employee of an employer who is employed in the business of his/her employer whether by way of manual labor or otherwise and every person in this state who is engaged in the employment of or who is working under an independent contract the essence of which is their personal labor for an employer under this chapter whether by way of manual labor or otherwise. Also see "Member."

     Employer: Any person, firm, corporation, partnership, business trust, legal representative, or other business entity which engages in any business, industry, profession, or activity in this state and employs one or more employees or who contracts with one or more persons, the essence of which is the personal labor of such person or persons and includes the state, counties, cities, and all municipal corporations, public corporations, political subdivisions of the state, and charitable organizations.

     Employer representative: A fire department officer authorized by the chief or director of the fire department to act in his/her behalf.

     Engine (pumper): A piece of apparatus equipped with hose and a pump for the purpose of supplying water under pressure through hose lines.

     Engineering control: Any procedure other than an administrative control that reduces exposures by modifying the source or reducing the exposure to an individual. Examples of engineering controls include the use of isolation, containment, encapsulation, sound absorbing materials for noise control, and ventilation.

     Explosion proof equipment: Equipment enclosed in a case that is capable of withstanding an explosion or a specified gas or vapor which may occur within it and of preventing the ignition of a specified gas or vapor surrounding the enclosure by sparks, flashes, or explosion of the gas or vapor within, and which operates at such an external temperature that it will not ignite a surrounding flammable atmosphere.

     Fastest means available: The (nearest-closest) telephone, portable radio, mobile radio, telephone/radio dispatcher or any other mode of mechanical communication.

     Fire apparatus: A fire department emergency vehicle used for rescue, fire suppression, or other specialized functions.

     Fire boat: A fire department watercraft having a permanent, affixed fire fighting capability.

     Fire combat training: Training received by fire fighters on the drill ground, drill tower, or industrial site to maintain the fire fighter's proficiency.

     Fire department: An organization providing any or all of the following: Rescue, fire suppression, and other related activities. For the purposes of this standard the term "Fire Department" shall include any public, private, or military organization engaging in this type of activity.

     Fire department facility: Any building or area owned, operated, occupied, or used by a fire department on a routine basis. This does not include locations where a fire department may be summoned to perform emergency operations or other duties, unless such premises are normally under the control of the fire department.

     Fire department safety officer: The member of the fire department assigned and authorized as the principal safety officer to perform the duties and responsibilities specified in this standard.

     Fire fighter: A member of a fire department whose duties require the performance of essential fire fighting functions or substantially similar functions.

     Fire retardant: Any material used to reduce, stop or prevent the flame spread.

     Fly: Extendible sections of ground or aerial ladders.

     Foot stand, ladder: Devices attached to inside of beams of ladders that when folded down, provide foot space.

     Ground jack: Heavy jacks attached to frame of chassis of aerial-equipped apparatus to provide stability when the aerial portion of the apparatus is used.

     Ground mobile attack: The activities of wildland fire fighting with hose lines being used by personnel working around a moving engine. See mobile attack.

     Guideline: An organizational directive that establishes a standard course of action.

     Halyard: Rope used on extension ladders for the purpose of raising or lowering fly section(s). A wire cable may be referred to as a halyard when used on the uppermost fly section(s) of three or four section extension ladders.

     Hazard communication program: A procedure to address comprehensively the issue of evaluating the potential hazards of chemicals and communicating information concerning hazards and appropriate protective measures to employees. See WAC 296-800-170, Chemical Hazard Communication Program.

     Hazardous area: The immediate area where members might be exposed to a hazard.

     Hazardous atmosphere: Any atmosphere, either immediately or not immediately dangerous to life or health, which is oxygen deficient or which contains a toxic or disease-producing contaminant.

     Hazardous condition: The physical condition or act which is causally related to accident occurrence. The hazardous condition is related directly to both the accident type and the agency of the accident.

     Hazardous material: A substance (solid, liquid, or gas) that when released is capable of creating harm to people, the environment, and property.

     Hazardous substances: Substances that present an unusual risk to persons due to properties of toxicity, chemical activity, corrosivity, etiological hazards of similar properties.

     HEPA filtration: High efficiency particulate air filtration found in vacuum system capable of filtering 0.3 micron particles with 99.97% efficiency.

     Hose bed: Portion of fire apparatus where hose is stored.

     Hose tower: A vertical enclosure where hose is hung to dry.

     Hot zone: Area immediately surrounding a hazardous materials incident, which extends far enough to prevent adverse effects from hazardous materials releases to personnel outside the zone. This zone is also referred to as the exclusion zone or the restricted zone in other documents.

     Identify: To select or indicate verbally or in writing using recognized standard terms. To establish the identity of; the fact of being the same as the one described.

     IDLH: Immediately dangerous to life and health.

     Imminent hazard (danger): An act or condition that is judged to present a danger to persons or property and is so immediate and severe that it requires immediate corrective or preventative action.

     Incident commander: The person in overall command of an emergency incident. This person is responsible for the direction and coordination of the response effort.

     Incident command system (ICS): A system that includes: Roles, responsibilities, operating requirements, guidelines and procedures for organizing and operating an on-scene management structure.

     Incipient (phase) fire: The beginning of a fire; where the oxygen content in the air has not been significantly reduced and the fire is producing minute amounts of water vapor, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other gases; the room has a normal temperature and can be controlled or extinguished with a portable fire extinguisher or small hose, e.g., a kitchen stove fire.

     Industrial fire brigade: An organized group of employees whose primary employment is other than fire fighting who are knowledgeable, trained and skilled in specialized operations based on site-specific hazards present at a single commercial facility or facilities under the same management.

     Initial stage (initial action): Shall encompass the control efforts taken by resources which are first to arrive at an incident.

     Injury: Physical damage suffered by a person that requires treatment by a practitioner of medicine (a physician, nurse, paramedic or EMT) within one year of the incident regardless of whether treatment was actually received.

     Interior structural fire fighting: The physical activity of fire suppression, rescue or both, inside of buildings or enclosed structures which are involved in a fire situation beyond the incipient stage. See structural fire fighting.

     Life safety or rescue rope: Rope dedicated solely for the purpose of constructing lines for supporting people during rescue, fire fighting, or other emergency operations, or during training evolutions.

     Line: Rope when in use.

     Live fire training: Any fire set within a structure, tank, pipe, pan, etc., under controlled conditions to facilitate the training of fire fighters under actual fire conditions.

     Locking in: The act of securing oneself to a ladder by hooking a leg over a rung and placing top of foot against the other leg or against the ladder.

     Manned station: See staffed station.

     May: A permissive use or an alternative method to a specified requirement.

     Member: A person involved in performing the duties and responsibilities of a fire department under the auspices of the organization. A fire department member may be a full-time or part-time employee or a paid or unpaid volunteer, may occupy any position or rank within the fire department, and engages in emergency operations. Also see Employee.

     Mobile attack: The act of fighting wildland fires from a moving engine.

     Monitor: A portable appliance that delivers a large stream of water.

     Mop up: The act of making a wildfire/wildland fire safe after it is controlled, such as extinguishing or removing burning materials along or near the control line, felling snags, trenching logs to prevent rolling.

     NFPA: National Fire Protection Association.

     NIIMS: National Interagency Incident Management System.

     NIOSH: National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

     Nondestructive testing: A test to determine the characteristics or properties of a material or substance that does not involve its destruction or deterioration.

     Nonskid: The surface treatment that lessens the tendency of a foreign substance to reduce the coefficient of friction between opposing surfaces.

     Occupational exposure: Means reasonably anticipated skin, eye, mucous membrane or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that may result from the performance of an employee's duties.

     Officer: (1) Person in charge of a particular task or assignment.

     (2) A supervisor.

     OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

     Other potentially infectious materials (OPIM): (1) The following body fluids: Semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid, saliva in dental procedures, any body fluid that is visibly contaminated with blood, and all body fluids in situations where it is difficult or impossible to differentiate between body fluids;

     (2) Any unfixed tissue or organ (other than intact skin) from a human (living or dead); and

     (3) HIV-containing cell or tissue cultures, organ cultures, and HIV-or HBV-containing culture medium or other solutions; and blood, organs, or other tissues from experimental animals infected with HIV or HBV.

     Outrigger: Manually or hydraulically operated metal enclosures and jacks which are extended and placed in contact with the ground to give the apparatus a wide, solid base to support different loads.

     Overhauling: That portion of fire extinguishment involving discovery of hidden fires or smoldering material.

     PASS: Personal alert safety system.

     PEL: Permissible exposure limit.

     Personal protective equipment (PPE): (1) The equipment provided to shield or isolate a person from the chemical, physical, and thermal hazards that may be encountered at a hazardous materials incident. Personal protective equipment includes both personal protective clothing and respiratory protection. Adequate personal protective equipment should protect the respiratory system, skin, eyes, face, hands, feet, head, body, and hearing.

     (2) Specialized clothing or equipment worn by an employee for protection against a hazard. General work clothes (e.g., uniforms, pants, shirts, or blouses) not intended to function as protection against a hazard are not considered to be personal protective equipment.

     Place of employment: Any premises, room or other place where an employee or employees are employed for the performance of labor or service over which the employer has the right of access or control. For the purposes of this code, fireground and emergency scenes are also considered places of employment.

     Platform: The portion of a telescoping or articulating boom used as a working surface.

     Positive communication: Visual, audible, physical, safety guide rope, or electronic means which allows for two way message generation and reception.

     PPE: Personal protective equipment.

     Prefire training: The training of fire fighters in recognizing sources and locations of potential fires and the method of fire combat to be used.

     Probable fatality: (1) An occupational injury or illness, which, by the doctor's prognosis, could lead to death.

     (2) An occupational injury or illness, which by its very nature, is considered life threatening.

     Protective clothing: Equipment designed to protect the wearer from heat and/or hazardous materials contacting the skin or eyes. Protective clothing is divided into five types:

     (1) Structural fire fighting protective clothing;

     (2) Liquid splash-protective clothing;

     (3) Vapor-protective clothing;

     (4) High temperature-protective proximity clothing; and

     (5) Wildland fire fighting clothing.

Note:

See Protective ensemble.

     Protective ensemble: Multiple elements of clothing and equipment designed to provide a degree of protection for fire fighters from adverse exposures to the inherent risks of structural fire fighting operations and certain other emergency operations. The elements of the protective ensemble are helmets, coats, trousers, gloves, footwear, interface components (hoods), and if applicable, personal alert system (PASS) devices, and self-contained breathing apparatus.

     Proximity protective clothing: Radiant reflective protective garments configured as a coat and trousers, or as a coverall, and interface components that are designed to provide protection for the fire fighter's body from conductive, convective, and radiant heat.

     Pumper: See engine.

     Qualified: One who by possession of a recognized degree, certificate or professional standing, or who by knowledge, training or experience has successfully demonstrated his/her ability to solve or resolve problems related to the subject matter, the work or the project.

     Rapid intervention team (RIT): On-scene team of at least two members designated, dedicated and equipped to effect an immediate rescue operation if the need arises.

     RCW: Revised Code of Washington.

     Rescue: Those activities directed at locating endangered persons at an emergency incident and removing those persons from danger.

     Rescue craft: Any fire department watercraft used for rescue operations.

     Respirator: A device designed to protect the wearer from breathing harmful atmospheres. See respiratory protection.

     Respiratory equipment: Self-contained breathing apparatus designed to provide the wearer with a supply of respirable atmosphere carried in or generated by the breathing apparatus. When in use, this breathing apparatus requires no intake of air or oxygen from the outside atmosphere.

     (1) Respirators (closed circuit): Those types of respirators which retain exhaled air in the system and recondition such air for breathing again.

     (2) Respirators (open circuit): Those types of respirators which exhaust exhaled air to the outside of the mask into the ambient air.

     (3) Respirators (demand): Those types of respirators whose input air to the mask is started when a negative pressure is generated by inhalation.

     (4) Respirators (pressure demand): Those types of respirators which constantly and automatically maintain a positive pressure in the mask by the introduction of air when the positive pressure is lowered (usually from .018 psi to .064 psi) through the process of inhalation or leakage from the mask.

     Respiratory protection: Equipment designed to protect the wearer from the inhalation of contaminants. Respiratory protection is divided into three types:

     (1) Positive pressure self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA);

     (2) Positive pressure airline respirators;

     (3) Negative pressure air purifying respirators.

     Responding: The usual reference to the act of responding or traveling to an alarm or request for assistance.

     Risk assessment: To set or determine the possibility of suffering harm or loss, and to what extent.

     Safe and healthful working environment: The work surroundings of an employee with minimum exposure to unsafe acts and/or unsafe conditions.

     Safety officer: Either the fire department safety officer or an assistant safety officer (see fire department safety officer).

     Safety net: A rope or nylon strap net not to exceed 6-inch mesh, stretched and suspended above ground level at the base of drill tower, and at such a height that a falling body would be arrested prior to striking the ground.

     Scabbard: A guard which will prevent accidental injury and covers the blade and pick of an axe or other sharp instrument when worn by the fire fighter.

     SCBA: Self contained breathing apparatus.

     Service testing: The regular, periodic inspection and testing of apparatus and equipment according to an established schedule and procedure, to insure that it is in safe and functional operating condition.

     Shall: Mandatory.

     Should: Recommended.

     Signalman: A person so positioned that he/she can direct the driver when the drivers vision is obstructed or obscured.

     SOP: Standard operating procedure or guidelines.

     Staffed station: A fire station continuously occupied by fire fighters on scheduled work shifts. The staffed station may also serve as headquarters for volunteers.

     Standard operating procedure or guidelines: An organizational directive that establishes a standard course of action. See SOP.

     Station (fire station): Structure in which fire service apparatus and/or personnel are housed.

     Structural fire fighting: The activities of rescuing, fire suppression, and property conservation involving buildings, enclosed structures, vehicles, vessels, or similar properties that are involved in a fire or emergency situation. See interior structural fire fighting.

     Structural fire fighting protective clothing: This category of clothing, often called turnout or bunker gear, means the protective clothing normally worn by fire fighters during structural fire fighting operations. It includes a helmet, coat, pants, boots, gloves, and a hood. Structural fire fighters' protective clothing provides limited protection from heat but may not provide adequate protection from the harmful gases, vapors, liquids, or dusts that are encountered during hazardous materials incidents.

     Support function: A hazardous chemical operation involving controlled chemical uses or exposures in nonflammable atmospheres with minimum threats in loss of life, personnel injury, or damage to property or to the environment. Functions include decontamination, remedial cleanup of identified chemicals, and training.

     Support function protective garment: A chemical-protective suit that meets the requirements of NFPA Standard on Support Function Garments, 1993.

     Tail/running board: Standing space on the side or rear of an engine or pumper apparatus.

     Team: Two or more individuals who are working together in positive communication with each other through visual, audible, physical, safety guide rope, electronic, or other means to coordinate their activities and who are in close proximity to each other to provide assistance in case of emergency.

     Tillerman: Rear driver of tractor-trailer aerial ladder.

     Trench: A narrow excavation made below the surface of the ground. The depth is generally greater than the width, but the width of a trench is not greater than 15 feet.

     Turnout clothing: See structural fire fighting protective clothing.

     Turntable: The rotating surface located at the base of an aerial ladder, or boom, on aerial apparatus.

     Universal precaution: An approach to infection control. According to the concept of universal precautions, all human blood and certain human body fluids are treated as if known to be infectious for HIV, HBV, and other bloodborne pathogens.

     Vapor barrier: Material used to prevent or substantially inhibit the transfer of water, corrosive liquids and steam or other hot vapors from the outside of a garment to the wearer's body.

     Variance: An allowed or authorized deviation from specific standard(s) when an employer substitutes measures which afford an equal degree of safety. Variances are issued as temporary or permanent with interim measures issued, when requested, until a determination or decision is made.

     Vessel: Means every description of watercraft or other artificial contrivance used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water, including special-purpose floating structures not primarily designed for or used as a means of transportation on water.

     WAC: Washington Administrative Code.

     Wheel blocks (chocks): A block or wedge placed under a wheel to prevent motion.

     Wildfire: An unplanned and unwanted fire requiring suppression action; an uncontrolled fire, usually spreading through vegetative fuels and often threatening structures.

     Wildland fire: A fire burning in natural vegetation that requires an individual or crew(s) to expend more than one hour of labor to confine, control and extinguish. Agencies may substitute crews to avoid the one hour bench mark or increase crew size to complete the job in less than one hour. One hour was chosen as the maximum time that individuals should work in high temperatures in structural protective clothing.

     Wildland fire fighting enclosure: A fire apparatus enclosure with a minimum of three sides and a bottom.

     WISHA: Washington Industrial Safety Health Act.

     Work environment: The surrounding conditions, influences or forces to which an employee is exposed while working.

     Workplace: See place of employment.

     WRD: WISHA regional directive.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, [49.17].040, and[49.17].050 . 01-11-038, § 296-305-01005, filed 5/9/01, effective 9/1/01. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.040. 99-05-080, § 296-305-01005, filed 2/17/99, effective 6/1/99. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, [49.17].050 and[49.17].060 . 96-11-067, § 296-305-01005, filed 5/10/96, effective 1/1/97.]