BEL AIR VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY
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MANUAL
of
PROCEDURE
EFFECTIVE DATE:
SECTION:
Operations
8-1-05
MOP 4.012
DISTRIBUTION:
ALL MEMBERS
SUBJECT:
AUTHORIZED BY:
Gear Issuance and
Maintenance
CHIEF
Thomas Schaech
Policy Statement:
The Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company shall issue protective gear to all members engaged in fire
and EMS services. The fire company shall monitor and replace any issued gear that is damaged
or destroyed and will seek to maintain protective clothing which meets current NFPA guidelines.
Purpose:
To provide the procedure whereby the fire company will issue approved firefighting or EMS
protective clothing.
Note: Specific brand names have been deleted from this MOP. All equipment purchased and
issued by The Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company will meet or exceed NFPA requirements.
Note: The gear officer is assigned the responsibility of purchase at the direction of the officers
for issuance and replacement of gear. This person is appointed by the Chief and is not necessarily
an elected officers position.
Index:
Section 1. Issued Equipment
Section 2. Protective Equipment - General Use
Section 3. Issued Equipment - Prohibitions
Section 4. Protective Equipment - Member Purchase
Section 5. BAVFC Standards
Section 6. Care of Protective Equipment
Section 7. Scott SCBA NXG2 Operation and Maintenance
Section 8. Gear Inventory
Appendix 1. SCBA Operation/Maintenance Instruction Packet
Appendix 2. Leather Style Helmet Shield Standards
Appendix 3. Gear Inventory Form
DATE: 08/01/05
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BEL AIR VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY
Section 1.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
8-1-05
MOP 4.012
Issued Equipment
The following is equipment issued by the Gear Officer to members of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire
Company.
Suppression Member:
1. Helmet with face shield and chin strap
2. Bunker Coat
3. Bunker Pants with suspenders
4. Boots
5. Firefighting Gloves
6. Pocket Face piece (for CPR)
7. Accountability Tag
8. PBI Firefighting Hood
Emergency Medical Services Member:
1. Jumpsuit/EMS Shirt
2. EMS Response Gear
**. Issued to top responders
3. Pocket Face piece (for CPR)
4. Accountability Tag
Section 2.
Protective Equipment - General Use by All Members
1. Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA)
(Refer Section 6 Operations/Maintenance)
2. Face piece (SCBA)
3. EMS Helmets (stored on medic unit)
4. Heavy Work Gloves (stored on medic unit)
5. Medical Grade Rubber Gloves
6. Bag Valve Mask
7. Dosimeters
8. Personal Alert Safety Device
9. Accountability Tag(s)
Section 3.
Issued Equipment - Prohibitions
Members will not be allowed to alter any issued company equipment without the express
permission of the fire line officers.
Members are not to utilize BAVFC issued equipment in service to another agency unless on a
bonafide mutual aid call.
DATE: 08/01/05
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BEL AIR VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY
EFFECTIVE DATE:
8-1-05
MOP 4.012
Members shall not remove issued gear from the station to carry in personal vehicles without
authorization of an officer. Members may take their bunker pants home with them for day or
night responses based on their work schedules.
Section 4.
Protective Equipment - Member Purchase
Members may purchase firefighting/EMS protective gear for use in fire/EMS incidents with the
Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company. All items must comply with NFPA standards. All items
will conform to BAVFC uniform standards. The following items must be approved by a majority
of the officers before it may be placed in service:
1. Helmets with face shields and chinstraps
2. Bunker Coat
3. Bunker Pants
4. Boots
5. Firefighting Gloves
6. EMS Protective Wear
The following items do not require officer approval and may be placed in-service
upon purchase:
1. Work gloves
2. Protective eye wear
3. Flashlights
4. Firefighting Hoods
5. Small Tools
6. Ear Protection
Section 5.
BAVFC Standards
In addition to meeting or exceeding NFPA standards, the fire company has established gear
standards insuring uniformity and consistency. Officer helmets will be painted
accordingly:
Chief(s) - White
Captain(s) - Red
Lieutenant(s) - Blue
EMS Officers - Green
Safety Officer – Orange
DATE: 08/01/05
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BEL AIR VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY
EFFECTIVE DATE:
8-1-05
MOP 4.012
All helmets with the exception of the above will be yellow in color, as provided by the Gear
Officer, and the members first initial and last name on the back of the helmet.
Officer helmets will display red/orange scotchlite or tetrahedron emblems for Chiefs, and white
for Captains, Lieutenants, and Sergeants. Officer helmets will display the highest level of EMS
training, if applicable. Officers who opt to wear a leather style helmet will either purchase or be
provided the appropriate shield denoting their rank and company affiliation. (See Appendix 2.)
Sergeant helmets will be marked with Sgt. chevrons and the highest EMS level of training, if
applicable.
Driver helmets will be rockered accordingly, either driver or engineer and their highest level of
EMS training, if applicable.
Member helmets will have green/lime scotchlite for the Metro 660C or tetrahedron emblems for
leather Sam Houston’s both having the highest level of EMS training, if applicable.
Members who opt to wear a leather style helmet will provide the appropriate shield denoting
their company number and affiliation. (See Appendix 2.)
Cadet helmets will have a black strip down the center seam of the helmet denoting cadet status.
Cadet helmets will also reflect the highest level of EMS training.
The gear officer may remove any gear from the rack that fails to meet BAVFC standards or is in
serious need of repair. Notification to the member must be made before the gear is removed.
Arrangements will be made to replace the damaged gear or assign BAVFC approved gear to the
member.
Protection 6.
Care of Protective Equipment
Protective Gear:
It is the personal responsibility of each member to maintain his or her protective equipment in a
clean and serviceable manner.
Turnout Coats and Pants should be brushed off and cleaned with mild soap and water, not
machine-washed. The thermal barrier and liner may be washed on gentle cycle. Do not use
chlorine bleach (sodium hypo chlorite), as this will adversely affect the tear strength. Oxygenated
bleaches such as Clorox or Vivid may be used.
Do not dry or store PBI/Kevlar, Nomex or any other aramid turnout gear in direct sunlight.
Ultraviolet light causes photo-oxidation of these materials, which reduces tear strength.
Launder the shell separately from the liner in water temperature of 125 degrees (F) or less.
Gloves may be either washed by hand or machine-washed.
DATE: 08/01/05
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BEL AIR VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY
EFFECTIVE DATE:
8-1-05
MOP 4.012
Helmets should be cleaned with a mild non-abrasive soap. Cleaning of face shields will be done
with mild soap or polycarbonate cleaners.
Helmets will be painted according to the colors selected by the gear officer.
Helmets whose painted surfaces must be stripped before repainting will be performed according
to manufacturers recommendations.
Boots will be washed after any run where they are dirtied. A mild non-abrasive soap may be used.
Keep linings of boots dry to prevent mildew.
Store away from electric motors and other ozone producing elements like bright neon lights,
moist areas and fan blown air.
Any gear damaged or destroyed as a result of fire or EMS activities will be replaced by the fire
company.
Members will be responsible for any gear they deliberately damage or destroy.
Replacement of Unserviceable/Damaged Equipment:
Any condition that exists with the protective equipment that renders that piece of equipment
unserviceable should be brought to the attention of a company officer or the gear officer. The
following is a list of examples of unserviceable equipment:
- severely torn turnout coat or pants
- broken straps on SCBA's
- leaking SCBA's
- torn gloves
- helmet that does not fit
- dirty eye shields
- torn or leaky boots
Any equipment determined to be unserviceable by a company officer or the gear officer will be
placed out of service and not used until repaired or replaced. This includes any personal gear as
well as company equipment.
DATE: 08/01/05
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BEL AIR VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY
EFFECTIVE DATE:
8-1-05
MOP 4.012
Self Contained Breathing Apparatus:
The Face piece should be thoroughly cleaned after every use and periodically to prevent dire or
fire buildup. Water and a small amount of Scott cleaning solution may be used to clean the Face
piece. The Face piece and straps/webbing should be disinfected after each use with a disinfectant
approved by the manufacturer. When in doubt as to the disinfectant, contact should be made
with the gear officer or the maintenance engineer. Mild soap and water may be used on both the
Face piece and harness straps. After cleaning, never store in a box or enclosed area where air
cannot circulate to dry the SCBA unit. Failure to allow the SCBA to air dry will cause mold and
mildew and damage the mask.
Unusual Occurrence:
For incidents of chemical spills, exposure to hazardous materials
or spillages of any staining fluid notify an officer as soon as possible so appropriate action may be
taken.
Section 7.
Operations and Maintenance SCBA
The fire company has provided Scott NXG2 self-contained breathing apparatus for a member’s
use on the fire ground or in hazardous breathing environments. Each member of the fire
company should be trained in the use of an SCBA. Appendix 1 reviews and demonstrates the
care, maintenance and proper donning procedures for the Scott NXG2
SCBA's. It is NOT a substitute for learning how to use an SCBA. This will be accomplished
during in-house and MFRI training . It is, however, a refresher for those who are already trained
or wish to review the procedures. Appendix 1 is attached to this MOP.
***Members will not perform any repairs to a malfunctioning or broken SCBA. All repairs will be
performed or overseen by the Maintenance Engineer or returned to the manufacturer.***
Section 8.
Gear Inventory
General Note:
Please Remember: Taking care of your gear and equipment we use everyday is very
important. It can mean the difference between a safe fire/EMS/training incident or equipment
failure when we least need it. There may be instances where it becomes necessary to conduct
an inventory of a member’s gear. Gear for these purposes is defined as:
Turnout Coat
Turnout Pants
Protective Helmet (unless member-owned)
EMS coat
EMS shirt
EMS jumpsuit
Turnout Boots
Face piece bag
EMS jacket
NOTE: As other items may be added by the Company at a given time, this list may be expanded
to fill the need and covers items not necessarily spelled out at present.
DATE: 08/01/05
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EFFECTIVE DATE:
8-1-05
MOP 4.012
Reasons to inventory a member’s gear may be in the event of injury or illness,
where documentation of contents may play into the investigation of the incident;
in a situation where a member has been suspended and issued equipment is
being held in security; essentially in any situation where the Officer feels that a
complete accountability of effects placed on or in Company-issued gear may be
warranted.
The member should be notified that personal items will be accounted for and secured for
retrieval at an agreed upon place and time FOLLOWING the inventory. Advance notification of
inventory should not routinely occur, as in the course of conducting investigations. However, this
places the burden of responsibility on the investigating officer to ensure justification of actions
undertaken.
Quantities and type of personal items confiscated are to be bagged, marked, and sealed and
placed in the Quartermaster’s locker. Markings should include the date, member name, and
officer conducting the inventory. The form will be filled out COMPLETELY and distributed per
the list at the bottom.
This inventory shall occur if at all possible in an office or other secluded area so as not disrupt
the good order of Department operations.
DATE: 08/01/05
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BEL AIR VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY
EFFECTIVE DATE:
8-1-05
MOP 4.012
Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company
Personal Property Inventory Log
Member Name:____________________________________________
Date:_______________________________
Type of Gear Inventoried: Fire/EMS
Reason for Inventory: _______________________________________________
List items/quantities removed from gear and SECURED:
________________________________________________________________________
This form is to log ONLY those member-owned items that are carried/worn or otherwise placed on or in Companyissued Personal Protective Equipment. ALL inventory must be carried out by at least ONE ELECTED officer or
Board member with a witness present.
OFFICER CONDUCTING INVENTORY:_____________________________________
WITNESS: ______________________________________________________________
Copy to: Quartermaster (if suppression)
EMS Officer (if EMS issue)
Deputy Chief
Board Secretary
DATE: 08/01/05
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