4123:1-21-03 Personal protective clothing and equipment for wildland fire fighting.

(A) The employer shall provide and require the use of all personal protective clothing and equipment specified in this rule whenever employees are required to work in a hazardous environment that may be encountered during wildland fire-fighting activities, prescribed fire activities, or under similar conditions during training activities.

(B) The employer shall assure that protective clothing protects the head, body, and extremities and consists of at least the following components: foot protection, hand protection, body protection, and head and eye protection.

(D) Personal protective clothing and equipment that is damaged or otherwise defective to the point of voiding its intended protection shall be removed from service.

(E) Employers shall develop and require use of a written plan covering the safe use, care, maintenance, inspection, limitations, and replacement of the clothing and equipment required by this rule, and all affected employees shall be trained in accordance with such plan.

(F) Where employees choose to provide their own protective clothing and equipment, such clothing and equipment shall give equal or greater protection than that provided by the employer.

(G) It shall be the responsibility of the employee to properly use the equipment provided by the employer as required in this rule.

(H) Body protection.

(1) Body protection shall consist of a protective shirt or coat and trousers, or equivalent protection.

(2) Protective clothing shall be melt-resistant, durable, lightweight, nonirritating to the skin, and cleanable.

(3) The protective shirt, jacket, or one-piece garment shall have long sleeves and shall not have turned-up cuffs. Sleeve cuffs shall have a closure system that can be adjusted to provide a snug and secure fit around the wrist while wearing a glove.

(4) All collars on jackets, shirts, and one-piece garments shall remain upright after extension into a vertical position.

(5) Any pass-through openings in garments shall have a means of fastening them in a closed position.

(6) All pockets that open to the exterior of garments, other than front waist pockets, shall have a cover or closure system.

(7) All garments that encompass the neck area shall have a closure system at the neckline.

(8) All closure systems shall not come into contact with the body. Hardware of any garment shall not come into direct contact with the wearer’s body.

(9) Protective clothing for wildland fire fighting shall be repaired in accordance with manufacturer’s requirements. If protective clothing cannot be repaired without decreasing the protective qualities, it shall be replaced.

(10) Protective clothing shall be designed to give minimum interference to physical movement and to the use of fire-fighting tools.

(11) Where wildland fire fighting protective clothing is required, a fire shelter shall be included.

(12) Performance requirements.

Protective garments shall be capable of withstanding all tests specified in NFPA 1977, “Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting, 1998 Edition,” with the following minimum results:

(a) Flame resistance.

Clothing directly exposed to fire environment and subject to flame impingement shall meet the following minimum flame resistance requirements.

(i) When tested in accordance with Federal Test 191A, Method 5903.1, test results shall not exceed the following limits:

(a) 2.0 seconds afterflame.

(b) 4.0 inches average char length.

(ii) Ignition of the material shall not produce any melting and dripping of molten or flaming material.

(b) Radiant protective performance.

Clothing shall have an average radiant protective performance (rpp) value of not less than eight.

Clothing shall not shrink more than ten per cent in any direction and shall not melt, drip separate, or ignite. In addition, garment textile fabrics shall not char.

(d) Total heat loss.

Garment composites shall have a total heat loss of not less than 450 W/m�. (e) Thread heat resistance.

All sewing thread used in the construction of garments shall not ignite, melt, or char.

(f) The thermal and moisture barriers required for structural fire fighting in paragraph (J) of rule 4121:1-21-02 of the Administrative Code are not required for wildland fire fighting.

(13) Each garment shall have a product label(s) permanently and conspicuously attached. At least the following information shall be on the product label:

(a) #This wildland fire-fighting protective garment meets the garment requirements of NFPA 1977. Standard on Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting.#

(b) Manufacturer’s name, identification, or designation.

(d) Country of manufacture.

(e) Manufacturer’s garment identification number, lot number, or serial number.

(f) Month and year of manufacture (not coded).

(g) Model or style name, number, or design.

(h) Size.

(i) Garment materials and percent content.

(j) Certification organization’s label, symbol, or identifying mark.

(k) Cleaning precautions.

(l) “Do Not Remove This Label.”

(14) The garment manufacturer shall provide a user manual that describes the care, use, inspection, maintenance, limitations, and replacement of protective clothing.

(I) Foot protection.

(1) Foot protection shall be achieved by protective workstyle boots worn in combination with protective trousers that meet the requirements of paragraph (H) of this rule.

(2) Footwear shall consist of a sole with heel, upper, insole, and shank. The quarter section of the boot shall be designed to provide an adjustable, snug fit for support around the ankle and lower leg.

(3) Heel breast shall not be less than one-half inch (thirteen mm). Heel breasting angle shall not be less than ninety degrees nor more than one hundred thirty-five degrees relative to the sole (see figure 1).

For Figure – To obtain the appendix, table, image, etc. please call LSC’s ERF Helpdesk at 614-387-2078 or send an email to erfhelpdesk@lsc.state.oh.us.

(4) Protective footwear shall extend at least eight inches above the bottom of the heel and shall be equipped with skid-resistant outer soles.

(5) Protective footwear meeting the requirements of paragraph (I) of rule 4121:1-21-02 of the Administrative Code shall be considered to be in compliance with this rule.

(6) Performance requirements.

Footwear shall be capable of withstanding all tests specified in NFPA 1977. “Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting, 1998 Edition,” with the following minimum results:

(a) Flame resistance.

Footwear, with accessories other than laces in place, shall not have an afterflame greater than two seconds, and shall not ignite, melt, or char.

(b) Heat and thermal shrinkage.

Footwear, excluding laces, shall not melt, shall have no delamination of any part of the footwear, and shall have all accessories remain functional.

Under an applied load of eighteen pounds, the test shall not cut completely through the footwear material.

(d) Puncture resistance.

Footwear shall have a puncture force of not less than thirteen lbf (59 n).

(e) Conductive heat resistance.

The footwear inside sole surface temperature shall not exceed one hundred eleven degrees Fahrenheit (forty-four degrees Celsius).

(f) Thread heat resistance.

All sewing thread used in the construction of footwear shall not melt, drip, or ignite.

(7) Labeling.

Each footwear pair shall have a product label(s) permanently and conspicuously attached to each boot half pair. At least the following information shall be on the product label:

(a) “This wildland fire-fighting protective footwear meets the footwear requirements of NFPA 1977. Standard on Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting.”

(b) Manufacturer’s name, identification, or designation.

(d) Country of manufacture.

(e) Manufacturer’s footwear identification number, lot number, or serial number.

(f) Month and year of manufacture (not coded).

(g) Model, style name, number, or design.

(h) Footwear size and width.

(i) Certification organization’s label, symbol, or identifying mark.

(j) Cleaning precautions.

(k) “Do Not Remove This Label.”

(8) The footwear manufacturer shall provide a user information guide that describes the care, use, inspection, maintenance, limitations, and replacement criteria.

(J) Head protection.

(1) Wildland fire fighters’ helmets shall consist of a shell with brim or peak, an energy-absorbing system, suspension system with sweatband, chin strap, nape device, goggle clips, and retroreflective markings. Provisions shall be made for ventilation between the head and the helmet shell.

(2) The helmet shall be generally dome shaped. The area under the peak or the front of the brim shall be permitted to be covered only with a non-conducting, non-flammable, anti-glare material. Clips for headlamps or goggles shall be permanently attached with at least one clip at the rear of the helmet, and one clip on each side of the helmet.

(3) Chin straps shall be provided that attach to the helmet shell. Both chin and nape straps shall not be less than one-half (thirteen mm) in width.

(4) All helmets shall have retroreflective markings on the exterior of the shell. A minimum of four inches 2of retroreflective markings shall be visible when the helmet is viewed from the sides, front, and rear. The retroreflective markings shall be placed above the goggle or headlamp clips so as not to be obscured by any clip, or the strap retained by the clips.

(5) There shall be no openings penetrating the shell except those provided by the manufacturer for mounting energy-absorbing systems, retention systems, and accessories.

(6) The addition of helmet accessories shall not interfere with the function of the helmet or its component parts and shall not degrade the helmet’s performance below the requirements of this rule.

(7) Performance requirements.

Helmets shall be capable of withstanding all tests specified in NFPA 1977. “Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting, 1998 Edition.”

(a) Winter liners.

All winter liners, if used, shall be fabricated of materials that will comply with paragraph (H)(12) of this rule.

(b) Impact-resistance.

Helmets shall be capable of withstanding the impact of an eight-pound steel ball, approximately three and three-quarters inches in diameter, dropped onto the center of the top of the helmet from a height of five feet without transmitting an average force of more than eight hundred fifty pounds.

The penetration striker shall not make contact with the headform as indicated by the contact indicator.

(d) Helmet flammability.

Helmets, and any antiglare material provided, shall not show any visible afterflame time greater than five seconds.

(e) Heat distortion.

Helmets shall not have any deformation of the brim or peak exceed twenty-five per cent of its length.

(f) Suspension system retention.

The force required to separate any individual attachment point of the suspension assembly from the helmet shell and each adjusting mechanism of the suspension system assembly, shall not be less than five lbf (twenty-two n). There shall not be any failure of any adjusting mechanism to function properly.

(g) Retroreflectivity.

Helmet trim shall have a coefficient of retroreflection of not less than 100cd/lux/m�(100cd/fc/ft�). (h) Chin strap retention.

Helmet chin strap shall have no failure of any mechanism to function properly, shall not exhibit any breakage, and shall not stretch or slip more than one and one-half inches.

(i) Goggle/headlamp clip attachment.

Helmet goggle or headlamp clips shall not release from the shell and shall not deflect more than one-fourth inch from their original position.

(j) Electrical insulation.

(i) Helmets, with no permanent metallic hardware attached to the helmet shell, shall withstand two thousand two hundred volts alternating-current sixty hertz for one minute.

(ii) Helmets, with permanent metallic hardware mounted to the helmet shell, shall withstand two thousand two hundred volts alternating-current sixty hertz for fifteen seconds.

(k) Label durability.

Helmet labels shall not be torn, shall remain in place, and shall be legible to the unaided eye.

(8) Helmets shall have a product label permanently and conspicuously attached. At least the following information shall be on the product label(s):

(a) “This wildland firefighting protective helmet meets the helmet requirements of NFPA 1977. Standard on Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting.”

(b) Manufacturer’s name, identification, or designation.

(d) Manufacturer’s helmet identification, lot, or serial number.

(e) Month and year of manufacture (not coded).

(f) Model or style name, number, or design.

(g) Helmet size or size range.

(h) Nominal weight of helmet.

(i) Certification organization#s label, symbol, or identifying mark.

(j) Cleaning precautions.

(k) “Do Not Remove This Label.”

(9) The wildland helmet manufacturer shall provide a user information guide that describes the care, use, inspection, maintenance, limitations, and replacement criteria.

(10) Eye protection shall be provided by either goggles or face shield. Face shields and goggles may be attached to the helmet within the constraints of paragraphs (J)(5) and (J)(6) of this rule.

(K) Hand protection.

(1) Hand protection shall consist of protective gloves or a glove system which allows dexterity of hand movement and a sense of feel for objects.

(2) Gloves shall be maintained and repaired in accordance with the manufacturer’s requirements. If gloves cannot be repaired properly without decreasing the protective qualities required by this rule, they shall be replaced with gloves that meet the requirements of paragraph (K) of this rule.

(3) Design requirements.

(a) Gloves for wildland fire fighters shall be made of durable outer material designed to withstand the effects of flame, heat, sharp objects, and other hazards that are encountered during wildland fire fighting. Gloves shall not be manufactured from natural or synthetic rubber, plastics, or rubber-plastic combinations.

(b) Gloves shall be designed to give minimum interference to physical movement and to the use of fire-fighting tools.

(c) Wrist protection shall be designed to prevent burns or injury by providing complete covering under all conditions to the wrist area. Gloves shall closely conform to the wrist or are adjustable at the wrist and shall extend a minimum one inch past the wrist crease.

(d) The glove material in contact with the skin shall be nonirritating.

(e) All thread used to manufacture gloves shall be made of inherently flame-resistant fiber.

(4) Performance requirements.

Gloves shall be capable of withstanding all tests specified in NFPA 1977. Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting, 1998 Edition, with the following minimum results:

(a) Heat resistance test.

Gloves shall not separate, melt, ignite, or drip, and shall not shrink more than ten per cent in either direction.

(b) Flame resistance test.

(i) Gloves shall not melt or drip.

(ii) Gloves shall not have any afterflame of more than two seconds.

(iii) Gloves shall not have any char length in excess of four inches.

(iv) The consumed materials shall not exceed fifty per cent of the specimen’s original weight.

Gloves shall have a second-degree burn time of not less than seven seconds, and the pain time shall not be less than four seconds.

(d) Thermal protective performance.

Gloves shall have an average tpp of not less than twenty.

(e) Cut resistance.

Gloves shall not cut through at any point of the test specimen.

(f) Puncture resistance.

Gloves shall have a puncture force of not less than ten lbf (forty-five n).

(g) Dexterity.

Gloves shall demonstrate a dexterity test timing not to exceed one hundred forty per cent of baseline time.

(h)Grip.

Gloves shall demonstrate a weight-pulling capacity of not less than eighty per cent of the bare-handed control valves.

(i) Thread heat resistance.

All sewing thread shall not ignite, melt, or char.

(j) Label durability.

Glove labels shall not be torn, shall remain in place, and shall be legible to the unaided eye.

(5) Gloves shall have a product label permanently and conspicuously attached. At least the following information shall be on the product label:

(a) “This wildland fire fighting protective glove meets the glove requirements of NFPA 1977, Standard on Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting.”

(b) Manufacturer’s name, identification, or designation.

(d) Country of manufacture.

(e) Manufacturer’s glove identification, lot, or serial number.

(f) Month and year of manufacture (not coded).

(g) Model or style name, number, or design.

(h) Glove size or size range.

(i) Certification organization’s label, symbol, or identifying mark.

(j) Cleaning precautions.

(k) “Do Not Remove This Label.”

(6) The glove manufacturer shall provide a user information guide that describes the care, use, inspections, maintenance, limitations, and replacement criteria.

(L) Face/neck shroud.

(1) Face/neck shrouds shall be designed to cover and provide the limited protection to the face and neck areas that do not receive primary protection from the helmet.

(2) The shroud shall attach to the helmet.

(3) Shrouds shall have a closure system. The closure system shall not come into contact with the face or neck.

(4) Shrouds shall be measured to determine the areas of coverage (measured on an ISO size J headform). The shroud shall provide a minimum coverage on each side, measured downward from the reference plane at the coronal plane, of eight inches. In the back, measured downward from the reference plane at the rear mid-sagittal plane, of eight and one fourth inches. In the front, measured downward from the reference plane at the front mid-sagittal plane, of eight inches. The face opening shall not be considered as a gap in coverage.

(5) The shroud shall be designed with a face opening. The face opening shall not exceed six and three-fourths inches when measured along the reference plane. The bottom of the face opening shall not exceed one and one-half inches when measured downward from the reference plane at the front mid-sagittal plane.

(6) All snaps shall meet the requirements of MS27980F, “Fasteners, Snap, Style 2 of Fasteners, Snap, MIL-F-10884G.”

(7) Fastener tape shall meet the requirements of A-A-55126. “Fastener Tapes, Hook and Pile, Synthetic.

(8) Zippers shall meet the requirements of V-F-106F, “Fasteners, Slide, Interlocking.”

(9) All thread used to manufacture face/neck shrouds or shroud components shall be made of inherently flame-resistant fiber.

(10) Performance requirements.

Face/neck shrouds shall be capable of withstanding all the tests specified in NFPA 1977, Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting, 1998 Edition, with the following minimum results:

(a) Radiant protective performance.

Shrouds shall have an average rpp value of not less than eight.

(b) Flame resistance.

(i) Shrouds shall not have a char length of more than four inches.

(ii) Shrouds shall not have an afterflame of more than two seconds average.

(iii) Shrouds shall not melt or drip.

(i) Shrouds shall not shrink more than ten per cent in any direction.

(ii) Shrouds shall not melt, drip, separate, or ignite.

(iii) Garment textile fabric shall not char.

(iv) Hardware shall not ignite and remain functional.

(d) Tear resistance.

Shrouds shall have a tear strength of not less than five lbf (22n).

(e) Cleaning/shrinkage resistance.

Shrouds shall not shrink more than five per cent in any direction.

(f) Seam breaking strength.

(i) Seam assemblies that contain at least one woven material shall demonstrate a seam strength equal to or greater than fifty lbf (two hundred twenty-two n).

(ii) Where the fabric strength is less than the required seam strength specified in paragraph (L)(10)(f)(i) of this rule, providing the fabric fails without failure of the seam below the force specified, the seam breaking strength shall be considered acceptable.

(g) Thread heat resistance.

All sewing thread shall not ignite, melt, or char.

(h) Label durability.

Labels shall not be torn, shall remain in place, and shall be legible to the unaided eye.

(11) Protective face/neck shrouds shall have a product label permanently and conspicuously attached. At least the following information shall be on the product label:

(a) “This wildland fire fighting protective face/neck shroud meets the shroud requirements of NFPA 1977, Standard on Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting.”

(b) Manufacturer’s name, identification, lot, or serial number.

(d) Manufacturer’s shroud identification, lot, or serial number.

(e) Month and year of manufacture (not coded).

(f) Model or style name, number, or design.

(g) Size.

(h) Shroud materials and per cent content.

(i) Certification organization’s label, symbol, or identifying mark.

(j) Cleaning precautions.

(k) “Do Not Remove This Label.”

(12) The face/neck shroud manufacturer shall provide a user information guide that describes the care, use, inspection, maintenance, limitations, and replacement criteria.

(M) Fire protective shelter.

(1) The fire shelter shall conform to USDA Forest Service Specification 5100-320. “Fire Shelter.”

(2) The fire shelter shall be enclosed in a carrying case liner. The liner shall conform to UDSA Forest Service Specification 5100-00323B. “Liner, Fire Shelter, Carrying Case.”

(3) The fire shelter, enclosed in a carrying case liner, shall be enclosed in a carrying case. The carrying case shall conform to USDA Forest Service Specification 5100-322D, “Case, Carrying, Fire Shelter.”

(4) Each fire shelter shall have a product label(s) located on the shelter flap and shall have a second product label(s) located inside the clear polyvinyl shelter package, so that the label can be read without opening the polyvinyl shelter package. At least the following information shall be on the product label:

(a) “This fire shelter meets the fire shelter requirements of NFPA 1977. Standard on Protective Clothing and Equipment for wildland fire fighting.”

(b) Manufacturer’s name.

(d) Manufacturer’s number, lot, or serial number.

(e) Country of manufacture.

(f) Date of manufacture (not coded).

(g) Certification organization’s label, symbol, or identifying mark.

(h) “Do Not Remove This Label.”

(5) Each fire shelter carrying case shall have a product label(s) permanently and conspicuously attached. At least the following information shall be on the product label:

(a) “This fire shelter carrying case meets the carrying case requirements of NFPA 1977. Standard on Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting.”

(b) Manufacturer’s name.

(d) Manufacturer’s number, lot, or serial number.

(e) Country of manufacture.

(f) Date of manufacture (not coded).

(g) Certification organization’s label, symbol, or identifying mark.

(h) “Do Not Remove This Label.”

(6) Each fire shelter carrying case liner shall have a product label permanently and conspicuously attached. At least the following information shall be on the product label:

(a) “This fire shelter carrying case liner meets the carrying case liner requirements of NFPA 1977, Standard on Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting.”

(b) Manufacturer’s name.

(d) Manufacturer’s number, lot, or serial number.

(e) Country of manufacture.

(f) Date of manufacture (not coded).

(g) Certification organization’s label, symbol, or identifying mark.

(h) “Do Not Remove This Label.”

(7) The fire shelter manufacturer shall provide a user information guide that describes the care, use, inspection, maintenance, limitations, and replacement criteria.

(N) Accessories.

(1) All hardware, brackets, and snaps or other fasteners of any accessories shall be free of rough spots, burrs, or sharp edges.

(2) Any accessories attached to any wildland fire fighting protective clothing or equipment shall not interfere with the function(s) of the item or with the function(s) of any of the item’s component parts.

(3) Where any wildland fire fighting protective clothing or equipment item is provided with an accessory or accessories that are attached to or integrated with the item, the item shall meet all of the design and performance requirements of this rule with accessories installed. In all cases, such accessories shall not degrade the performance of the protective clothing or equipment below the requirements of this rule.

(4) Face protectors shall be an optional accessory, but where provided, face protectors shall be designed to cover and provide limited thermal protection to the face and neck area without interfering with the wearer’s vision.

(5) Where the fact protector incorporates a closure system, such closure systems shall not come into direct contact with the wearer’s body.

(6) Face protectors shall not attach to the protective helmet.

HISTORY: Eff 3-1-88; 11-1-03

Rule promulgated under: RC 119.03

Rule authorized by: RC 4121.12, 4121.121, 4121.13

Rule amplifies: RC 4121.13, Const. Art. II Section 35

Replaces: 4121:1-21-03

R.C. 119.032 review dates: 03/01/2008