Firefighter turnout gear selection for your department is a process. NFPA 1851 and OSHA 29 CFR 1910.132 require fire departments to complete a PPE risk assessment before purchasing new turnout gear, but a risk assessment only gives you part of the information you need to make an informed decision. A risk assessment will give you black and white information about your coverage area–hazards, number of calls, geography and climate, and that information is necessary to take into consideration when selecting new turnout gear. But a risk assessment doesn’t take into consideration the human element–what attributes of the turnout gear your firefighters, who wear it every day, believe are most important.
Read on for tips to determine the turnout gear performance attributes that are most important to your personnel and guidelines to follow when performing turnout gear field testing. Establishing the attributes that are most important to your firefighters ensures you are including the end user’s perspective in your purchasing decision.
Quantifiable turnout gear field testing is also an essential part of the firefighter protective equipment buying process. While there are different methods for field testing turnout gear, you’ll learn some fundamental guidelines that should be followed in any field test.
