PPE: Reshaping Contamination Control: Mitigating Contamination Through Proper PPE and On-Scene Practices

摘要

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) is intended to protect against many of the hazards firefighters encounter on the fireground, and related equipment is supposed to allow personnel to safely carry out their mission. Yet, the fire service is coming to the realization that structural firefighting and several other related activities are often more "hazmat" than regular hazardous materials operations. Moreover, the PPE and related equipment should not create hazards to firefighters' health and well-being by being a source of continued contamination exposure. To this end, the fire service, PPE and other equipment manufacturers, and various service companies are rethinking their approaches on how to effectively clean the PPE and related items and render them safe for reuse.