Hazardous Materials Personal Protective Equipment Determination and Considerations

A comprehensive examination of the requirements and considerations for determining appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for a hazardous materials response. Discusses the OSHA and NFPA categorization of hazardous materials PPE; factors in determining required PPE to stock on-hand based on community hazards and threats, and for a specific incident; determining chemical compatibility of PPE items for an identified substance using various resources and tools; limitations of structural firefighting equipment in hazardous materials response; and medical screening, respirator fit testing, and other considerations for operations and management of personnel required to wear PPE.