This three-year project is due to be completed no later than August 2018 and is funded through an AFG Fire Prevention & Safety Grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency. Output from the project is expected to yield not only new methodology to gauge the effectiveness of cleaning and decontamination but also a new understanding of contamination-control practices related to PPE cleaning.
The NFPA Fire Protection Research Foundation is leading a unique research team partnership that also includes the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and International Personnel Protection (IPP). As the research affiliate of NFPA, the Fire Protection Research Foundation is an independent nonprofit whose mission is to plan, manage, and communicate research in support of the association. Much of its research provides valuable information in support of the standards and codes development process. Its work within this project is in response to a specific request from the Technical Committee to providing a detailed investigation of cleaning to improve the requirements on cleaning in NFPA 1851. Within NIOSH, the principal efforts are being carried out by the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) and the Health Effects Laboratory Division (HELD). The NPPTL is known for its certification of respirators, including fire service SCBA, but also carries out a substantial amount of research related to PPE in support of the development of standards and best practices. In this project, its efforts are focusing on chemical forms of contamination. HELD is primarily staffed by engineers and biologists with its core competencies in establishing the causes of occupational disease and injury and to contribute to the development of valid strategies of intervention and prevention. This expertise is being applied for studying biological decontamination.
The research team, along with several ISPs, are working with fire service partners and others to validate and optimize firefighter PPE cleaning validation methods. Preliminary detailed procedures and findings are expected in early 2018.
