Part 31 Firefighting
Personal Protective Clothing and Equipment
31.10 General requirement
Firefighters must wear personal protective clothing and equipment appropriate to the hazards to which they may be exposed.
31.11 Maintenance
(1) The employer must have written procedures for the inspection of protective clothing and equipment at regular intervals.
(2) Procedures for cleaning and drying protective clothing must be in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
(3) Defective items of protective clothing or equipment must be repaired or replaced.
31.12 Firefighter responsibility
Firefighters must ensure that the personal protective clothing and equipment used by them is maintained in good condition.
31.13 Safety headgear
(1) Safety headgear must be worn by firefighters required to approach the seat of a fire or enter a structure or other hazardous area during an incident.
(2) Safety headgear must meet the requirements of NFPA 1972, Helmets for Structural Firefighting: Structural Fire Fighters Helmets, 1992 Edition.
(3) Headgear meeting the requirements for safety headgear in Part 8 (Personal Protective Clothing and Equipment) may be used by firefighters
(a) while determining the cause of fires, or carrying out duties associated with preventing fires, or
(b) at the discretion of the incident commander, while fighting a fire in vegetation that is not within a structure.
[Amended by B.C. Reg. 312/2003, effective October 29, 2003.]
| * See also section 4.4 of the OHS Regulation. |
31.14 Protective coats, pants and hoods
Firefighters required to approach the seat of a fire or enter a structure or other hazardous area during an incident must wear protective coats, pants and hoods meeting the requirements of
(a) NFPA 1971, Protective Clothing for Structural Fire Fighting, 1991 Edition, or
(b) CGSB Standard CAN/CGSB-155.1-M88, Firefighters’ Protective Clothing for Protection Against Heat and Flame.
(c) Repealed. [B.C. Reg. 312/2003, effective October 29, 2003.]
[Amended by B.C. Reg. 312/2003, effective October 29, 2003.]
| * See section 4.4 of the OHS Regulation. |
31.15 Stationwear and personal garments
Firefighters required to approach the seat of a fire or enter a structure or other hazardous area during an emergency incident must not wear shirts, trousers, jackets or coveralls that have poor thermal stability or that ignite easily.
31.16 Working gloves
Firefighters required to approach the seat of a fire or enter a structure or other hazardous area during an emergency incident must wear gloves meeting the requirements of NFPA 1973, Gloves for Structural Fire Fighting, 1988 Edition.
[Amended by B.C. Reg. 312/2003, effective October 29, 2003.]
| * See also section 4.4 of the OHS Regulation. |
Note: See Part 19 (Electrical Safety) for personal protective equipment and other safety measures required for work involving electrical hazards.
31.17 Fall protection
(1) A firefighter working on an aerial ladder must wear a safety belt and lanyard meeting the requirements of CSA Standard Z259.1-95, Safety Belts and Lanyards, and the securing lanyard must limit a fall to no more than 30 cm (12 in).
(2) A firefighter located on an aerial platform must wear a full body harness and lanyard meeting the requirements of Part 11 (Fall Protection).
(3) Rescue ropes, rappelling lines and safety belts and harnesses including safety hooks, rope grabs, lowering devices, and related equipment must meet the requirements of NFPA 1983, Fire Service Life Safety Rope, Harness and Hardware, 1990 Edition.
(4) The incident commander may depart from the requirements of Part 11 (Fall Protection) to use a fall protection system if, in the incident commander’s opinion, such compliance is not practicable or may create a greater hazard, but subsections (1) to (3) of this section must be complied with.
[Amended by B.C. Reg. 312/2003, effective October 29, 2003.]
| * See also section 4.4 of the OHS Regulation. |
31.18 Personal alert safety system
(1) A firefighter must be provided with and use a Personal Alert Safety System (PASS) when involved in duties which require a self- contained breathing apparatus to be worn.
(2) A PASS device must meet the requirements of NFPA 1982, Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS) for Fire Fighters, 1993 Edition.
(3) A PASS device must be tested at least weekly and prior to use.
[Amended by B.C. Reg. 312/2003, effective October 29, 2003.]
| * See also sections 4.3 and 4.4 of the OHS Regulation. |
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