PPE and Clothing Specifications

NFCC PPE and Clothing Specifications enable nationally developed PPE specifications, to ensure consistent levels of protection are afforded across the fire sector

The NFFC Clothing and PPE Committee has established two core areas of PPE to define national specifications: standard firefighting and specialist. Alongside ensuring consistent levels of protection, by utilising these specifications, collaborative working arrangements are not hindered by differing levels of protection. A national specification also brings about efficiency and budget savings, ensuring best value for money is achieved whilst maintaining the essential safety requirements.

It is important to understand that product standards (BS, EN or ISO) alone will not necessarily provide the protection required by the end users. Many product standards have varying levels of performance which need to be determined by those providing PPE for their employees.

Equally, the minimum levels of protection contained within a product standard may not be sufficient to meet the actual requirements needed as an outcome of the PPE risk assessment, as required by The PPE at Work Regulations 1992.

This page contains details on both the core areas:

 

Standard firefighting PPE

Structural firefighting PPE; Complimentary rescue PPE

 

Specialist PPE

Wildland fire fighting; Water rescue; Urban search and rescue; Chemical protective clothing

 

Standard firefighting PPE

Structural firefighting PPE

The product must be suited to the range of structural firefighting, external firefighting and rescue activities carried out during emergency response and training operations. The product must be of such design, robustness, material and specification to meet the needs of these operations. It should also be simple to clean, repair and maintain. 

Firefighting PPE is designed, following a suitable risk assessment, to protect firefighters from risks that cannot be removed by other means. One potential emerging risk to firefighter’s health is exposure to contaminants as a result of the incidents that they attend; some of these contaminants may be carcinogenic. All Contractors should be mindful of these emerging risks and as such ensure that the PPE is designed to be easily cleaned and decontaminated. In addition methods for identifying that the PPE may be contaminated should also be considered when designing the PPE.
Modern fire service activity covers a broad range of incidents and as such innovative solutions for PPE can be developed. One such solution is a layered (multi-functional jacket). This design will provide layers of kit which will provide protection, in a modular layering format; where the wearer ‘layers up’ from lower risk, by the addition of one or more layer(s), to higher risk (full structural). 

The initial layer(s) will be the default ‘every day wear’ (not station wear) and be designed to perform and be worn for most interventions. Levels of protection here still exist but are lower than those required in full structural garments. The initial layer(s)/garment should be less complex by design and be cheaper and easier to repair.  

For the purpose of this specification the generic term ‘layered jacket’ will be used and more specifically:

  • Base-Layer- Station wear or equivalent (not to be part of this tender process for information purposes only) 
  • Mid-Layer Jacket – conforming to relevant sections of; BS ISO 16073:2011 BS EN 15614:2007, BS EN ISO 20471:2013 Class 3 for working on roadways and BS EN ISO 6350:2005 Protection against liquid chemical. 
  • Top-Layer- a further level of PPE to be combined with the mid-layer jacket, therefore achieving that the whole ensemble complies with level 2, BS EN 469:2005. The colour of the Top-Layer fabric to match that of the supplied fire trouser fabric.

Specification and requirements 

 

Complimentary (rescue) PPE

Modern fire service activity covers a broad range of incidents and as such innovative solutions for PPE can be developed.

The rescue jacket may be the default ‘every day wear’ (not station wear) and be designed to perform and be worn for most interventions. Levels of protection here still exist but are lower than those required in full structural garments. The rescue jacket should be less complex by design and be cheaper and easier to repair.  

Specification and requirements 

 

Specialist PPE

Wildland firefighting PPE

The level of wildfire risk is not evenly spread across the UK; it varies considerably between seasons and between different regions of the UK. The key factors influencing wildfire risk are the prevailing weather conditions, vegetation types and the local topography.

Wildfires can be particularly challenging incidents for fire and rescue services to deal with because of their erratic nature, their potential size, scale and intensity and because of the rural and rural-urban interface environments in which they tend to occur. Large wildfires can be very resource intensive and this can create challenges for fire and rescue services in maintaining operational resilience and emergency cover. 

In 2013 the Scottish Government published the Wildfire Operational Guidance, highlighting that: 

“The impact of such a high volume of wildfire events in such a short concentrated period presents obvious challenges to FRSs in responding to the wildfires whilst maintaining their ability to meet other emergency operational demands and manage operational budgets.” 

In recognition of their potential impact, ‘severe wildfires’ were added to the National Risk Register for Civil Emergencies in 2013 and 2015. In 2013, the National Risk Register stated: 

“While the impact of wildfires is relatively low compared with other emergencies, the location of severe wildfires could cause damage or disrupt transport and energy infrastructure (for example, roads, airports, pipelines and power lines), commercial property and homes and crops. They also result in air pollution from smoke and fumes and could contaminate water and habitats and pose a health and safety risk.” 

Specification and requirements 

 

Water rescue PPE

The Fire and Rescue Services (Emergencies) (Wales) (Amendment) Order 2017 amends Article 2 of the Order to include a duty to prepare for and respond to flooding and rescues from inland waters. The Fire (Additional Function) (Scotland) Order 2005 and The Fire and Rescue Services (Emergencies) Order (Northern Ireland) 2011, sets out a duty for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service to prepare for and respond to serious flooding. This includes any flooding that causes or is likely to cause a person to die, be seriously injured or become seriously ill.

The management and engagement of national flood rescue assets in England and details of how agencies will respond to flooding are detailed in DEFRA’s Flood Rescue Concept of Operations.

The water rescue ensemble will be used in the training environment and by ‘water first responders’ (module/level 2 operatives) and ‘water rescue technicians’ (module/level 3 operatives) as defined by DEFRA. 

 

Chemical protective clothing

The fire and rescue service responds to a wide range of incidents involving hazardous materials that have the potential to cause harm to firefighters, other responding agencies, the surrounding community, animals and the environment. They may be called specifically to deal with emergency spillages or releases, or they may encounter hazardous materials at fires and other emergency incidents. 

Fire and rescue services recognise that in the hierarchy of controls in risk management, PPE forms the last line of defence for an individual working in a hazardous environment. Legislative requirements such as the Control of Asbestos Regulations require fire and rescue services to prevent or control the exposure of personnel and others to hazardous substances whilst at work.   

However, when fire and rescue service personnel attend hazardous materials, there may be few alternatives to using PPE as a risk control, particularly when saving life or preventing damage to the environment. It is therefore vitally important that fire and rescue services understand the advantages and limitations of available PPE ensembles. This can only be achieved by understanding the performance standards and level of protection afforded by PPE ensembles. 

Specification and requirements 

 

Urban search and rescue - technical rescue clothing

The Government instigated the New Dimension programme soon after 9/11. Read more

It was immediately recognised that multiple, large scale attacks on the UK would be difficult to cope with effectively by individual fire and rescue services and New Dimensions was intended to provide a range of equipment, people and procedures to allow a co-ordinated national response to catastrophic events of various types. 

By providing these new skills UK fire services are becoming better prepared to deal with extreme situations and national support arrangements mean we will be better able to cope with the worst types of incident.

The host USAR fire services can use these assets along with their highly trained technicians as a resource to assist at incidents where their skills, equipment and procedures will help reach a successful and safe conclusion. There are 21 teams’ strategically located teams throughout England and Wales to deal with three simultaneous attacks wherever they occur. 

USAR operations encompass the areas of rescue from collapse structures, elements of technical search, initial location, area stabilisation, intrusive search and extrication from confined spaces. Operations will take place in hostile, confined and hazardous environment, possibly over a period of several days. 

Specification and requirements 

 

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