WAC 296-305-07003   Personal protective clothing and equipment for wildland fire fighting.  (1) Protective apparel and equipment for wildland fire fighters shall be designed to provide thermal protection for the fire fighters against external heat sources with flame resistant clothing and equipment without creating high heat stress loads due to the prolonged work periods they experience. Members performing suppression on a wildland fire shall wear a provided protective clothing ensemble as directed by their employer. The combined protective clothing ensemble includes:

     (a) Hardhat/helmet

     (b) Upper and lower torso clothing

     (c) Gloves

     (d) Goggles

     NFPA Standard Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire fighting 1977, 1993 edition shall serve as a guideline for determining performance characteristics of this clothing.

     (2) As a minimum, members shall wear provided leather lace-up boots of sturdy construction which shall extend upward a minimum of 8 inches above the top of the sole, which shall be slip resistant.

     (3) Additional personal protective equipment to be provided and worn shall include a fire shelter as directed by the incident commander.

     (4) Wildland protective clothing shall comply with this standard within two years of the effective date of this chapter.

     (5) Personnel operating Type 1 or Type 2 engines assigned to structural protection will carry structural protective clothing on their assigned apparatus.

     (6) Wildland personnel protective clothing shall not be used for interior structural fire fighting.

     (7) Persons provided fire shelters shall be trained in their use and shall receive refresher training at least annually.

     (8) Personnel wearing full structural fire fighting clothing while engaged in fighting wildland fires shall not expend more than one hour before rotating to rest and rehabilitation. Agencies may rotate crews to avoid the one-hour benchmark when containing and controlling wildland fires.

     (9) Fire departments shall establish written procedures for the care, use, maintenance, and retirement criteria for protective equipment in conjunction with the manufacturers' recommendations.

     (10) Fire departments shall establish written procedures for the use of protective clothing and protective equipment while performing fire fighting activities.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, [49.17].050 and[49.17].060 . 96-11-067, § 296-305-07003, filed 5/10/96, effective 1/1/97. Statutory Authority: Chapter 49.17 RCW. 88-14-108 (Order 88-11), § 296-305-07003, filed 7/6/88. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.040 and 49.17.050. 83-24-013 (Order 83-34), § 296-305-07003, filed 11/30/83; Order 77-20, § 296-305-07003, filed 10/18/77 and Emergency Order 77-24, filed 11/17/77, effective 12/17/77.]