Aid for Decontamination of Fire and Rescue Service Protective Clothing and Equipment After Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Exposures.

The first priority for fire and rescue service personnel and all emergency first responders when responding to any call is the safety of all emergency personnel. Emergency first responders have been called to every recent terrorist attack in North America, and they will continue to be called since it is their job to assess the situation, establish control over the situation, and attempt to rescue people threatened by the attack. The threat of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) attack is apparent, and all first responders must be prepared to address this possibility. This document provides the first responder with basic procedures for emergency decontamination of personal protective clothing and equipment (PPE) in the event that it is exposed to CBRN contamination. It also addresses processes for safely securing protective clothing and equipment that is considered to be unusable after a CBRN exposure. Some of the decontamination procedures addressed in this document are based on standard HAZMAT practices. In addition, information for normal care and cleaning of fire and rescue service PPE is included. This document has not been prepared to address decontamination processes for all known chemical or biological agents or radiological materials. It has been prepared to address approaches that may be used in emergency situations to decontaminate and/or secure PPE that has been exposed to the more common CBRN threats.