Queensland Fire and Emergency Services: Promoting the Message of 'Go Home Clean'

摘要

Over the past decade, the Queensland (Australia) Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) has undertaken a research program aimed at characterizing hazards posed to firefighters from toxic combustion products that may be deposited on protective clothing and skin.~(1-2) Experiments have included residential fires, commercial premises fires, industrial fires, and common firefighter training scenarios, with air contaminants being measured inside and outside protective clothing and chemical deposition measured on the exterior of protective clothing and on firefighters' skin. Off-gassing of toxic combustion products from protective clothing after exposure to firefighting environments has also been investigated.The results of this experimental program have informed practices within the QFES to improve postfire cleaning and hygiene practices. These recommendations are across a number of areas, including fireground actions, station-based hygiene, and protective clothing cleaning practices. This knowledge has also been translated into a firefighter decision support tool within the Emergency Response Decision Support Software (ERDSS).~3