Labor & Industries (L&I), Washington State

Fire Brigades Chapter 296-811, WAC

Effective Date: 03/01/06

WAC 296-811-400 Equipment

For printing

Your Responsibility

To provide brigade members with equipment and protective clothing appropriate for their brigade functions

Fire fighting equipment	WAC 296-811-40005
Protective clothing	WAC 296-811-40010
Respiratory protective devices	WAC 296-811-40015

 

WAC 296-811-40005

Fire fighting equipment

You must

• Provide appropriate fire fighting equipment for the fire brigade.
• Inspect and maintain brigade fire fighting equipment according to Table 2, Fire Brigade Equipment Inspection and Maintenance.

Table 2
Fire Brigade Equipment Inspection and Maintenance

For this equipment	Do the following
All brigade fire fighting equipment.	Inspect at least every year. Maintain in safe operating condition. Replace if damaged or in unsafe condition.
Brigade respirators and portable fire extinguishers.	Inspect at least every month and after each use.

WAC 296-811-40010

Protective clothing

You must

• Provide appropriate protective clothing for fire brigade members who do interior structural fire fighting. Make sure protective clothing is:
  • – Provided at no cost.
  • – Meets the requirements for foot, body, hand, eye, face, and head protection found in another chapter, Safety Standards for Fire Fighters,
    chapter 296-305 WAC.

  Exemption: Protective clothing requirements don’t apply to the following fire brigade members: – Those who don’t perform interior structural fire fighting. – Those who use only standpipe systems or portable fire extinguishers to control or put out fires that are in the incipient stage only.

  
  

WAC 296-811-40015

Self-contained breathing apparatus’ (SCBAs)

• Provide SCBAs, other than escape self-contained breathing apparatus’ (ESCBAs), and make sure they are used by each fire brigade member who does interior structural fire fighting.
• Make sure SCBAs do the following:
• – Meet the requirements found in chapter chapter 296-842 WAC, Respirators.
• – Are positive-pressure or pressure-demand type.
• – Use only compressed-air cylinders that:
  • Meet Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) requirements.
• – Have a service life of at least 30 minutes, as required by 42 CFR, Part 84.
• – Have an automatic alarm that can be heard when 75 to 80 percent of its service life has been used up.

Note: An SCBA can have a quick-disconnect valve or “buddy breathing” accessory only if the valve or accessory does not do any of the following: – Damage the SCBA. – Restrict the SCBA’s air flow. – Interfere with the SCBA’s normal operation. – The “buddy breathing” accessory or quick-disconnect valve need not be certified by NIOSH.