Fire Department Stands Down, Apparatus Idled
The entire Limington, Maine, volunteer fire department was ordered to “stand down until further notice” this week by the Town’s Board of Selectman because the department’s firefighting protective gear is not in compliance with national standards.
This obviously an interesting development, as it is unusual for an entire fire department to be called out of service.
NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) Rule 1851, Chapter 10.1.2, provides that “structural fire fighting ensembles and ensemble elements shall be retired … no more than 10 years from the date the ensembles or ensemble elements were manufactured.”
NFPA 1851, drafted in 2001 and modified subsequently, covers every aspect of maintaining PPE from inspection to repair to retirement. It is enforced through OSHA, but some states do not follow this rule.
Maine does. New York does not. The NYS Department of Labor, Public Employee Safety and Health Bureau (PESH) does not enforce NFPA 1851, though it does require departments to provide equipment and training that is compliant with the Fire Brigade Standard 29 CFR 1910.156 prior to performing any firefighting tasks. There is no specific time period for retirement. Equipment must be effective in performing the function it was designed for. Of course, it should be assumed that NFPA 1851 is going to be cited as an industry “best practice” if the poor condition of PPE was a factor in an injury or a death.
Meanwhile, how is Limington handling calls? According to the Maine Press Herald, the town’s emergency rescue crews are continuing to respond to EMS calls during the stand-down, and the town is relying on mutual aid from neighboring fire departments for firefighting services.
