29 Cfr 1910.157

§ 1910.156

29 CFR Ch. XVII (7–1–04 Edition)

(iv) Small hose system means a system
of hose ranging in diameter from 5⁄8″
(1.6 cm up to 11⁄2″ (3.8 cm) which is for
the use of employees and which provides a means for the control and extinguishment of incipient stage fires.
(40) Total flooding system means a
fixed suppression system which is arranged to automatically discharge a
predetermined concentration of agent
into an enclosed space for the purpose
of fire extinguishment or control.
(41) Training means the process of
making proficient through instruction
and hands-on practice in the operation
of equipment, including respiratory
protection equipment, that is expected
to be used and in the performance of
assigned duties.
(42) Vapor barrier means that material used to prevent or substantially inhibit the transfer of water, corrosive
liquids and steam or other hot vapors
from the outside of a garment to the
wearer’s body.
[45 FR 60704, Sept. 12, 1980, as amended at 53
FR 12122, Apr. 12, 1988]

§ 1910.156 Fire brigades.
(a) Scope and application—(1) Scope.
This section contains requirements for
the organization, training, and personal protective equipment of fire brigades whenever they are established by
an employer.
(2) Application. The requirements of
this section apply to fire brigades, industrial fire departments and private
or contractual type fire departments.
Personal protective equipment requirements apply only to members of fire
brigades performing interior structural
fire fighting. The requirements of this
section do not apply to airport crash
rescue or forest fire fighting operations.
(b) Organization—(1) Organizational
statement. The employer shall prepare
and maintain a statement or written
policy which establishes the existence
of a fire brigade; the basic organizational structure; the type, amount, and
frequency of training to be provided to
fire brigade members; the expected
number of members in the fire brigade;
and the functions that the fire brigade
is to perform at the workplace. The organizational statement shall be available for inspection by the Assistant

Secretary and by employees or their
designated representatives.
(2) Personnel. The employer shall assure that employees who are expected
to do interior structural fire fighting
are physically capable of performing
duties which may be assigned to them
during emergencies. The employer
shall not permit employees with known
heart disease, epilepsy, or emphysema,
to participate in fire brigade emergency activities unless a physician’s
certificate of the employees’ fitness to
participate in such activities is provided. For employees assigned to fire
brigades before September 15, 1980, this
paragraph is effective on September 15,
1990. For employees assigned to fire
brigades on or after September 15, 1980,
this paragraph is effective December
15, 1980.
(c) Training and education. (1) The
employer shall provide training and
education for all fire brigade members
commensurate with those duties and
functions that fire brigade members
are expected to perform. Such training
and education shall be provided to fire
brigade members before they perform
fire brigade emergency activities. Fire
brigade leaders and training instructors shall be provided with training
and education which is more comprehensive than that provided to the
general membership of the fire brigade.
(2) The employer shall assure that
training and education is conducted
frequently enough to assure that each
member of the fire brigade is able to
perform the member’s assigned duties
and functions satisfactorily and in a
safe manner so as not to endanger fire
brigade members or other employees.
All fire brigade members shall be provided with training at least annually.
In addition, fire brigade members who
are expected to perform interior structural fire fighting shall be provided
with an education session or training
at least quarterly.
(3) The quality of the training and
education program for fire brigade
members shall be similar to those conducted by such fire training schools as
the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute; Iowa Fire Service Extension;
West Virginia Fire Service Extension;
Georgia Fire Academy, New York
State Department, Fire Prevention and

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Occupational Safety and Health Admin., Labor
Control; Louisiana State University
Firemen Training Program, or Washington State’s Fire Service Training
Commission for Vocational Education.
(For example, for the oil refinery industry, with its unique hazards, the
training and education program for
those fire brigade members shall be
similar to those conducted by Texas A
& M University, Lamar University,
Reno Fire School, or the Delaware
State Fire School.)
(4) The employer shall inform fire
brigade members about special hazards
such as storage and use of flammable
liquids and gases, toxic chemicals, radioactive sources, and water reactive
substances, to which they may be exposed during fire and other emergencies. The fire brigade members shall
also be advised of any changes that
occur in relation to the special hazards. The employer shall develop and
make available for inspection by fire
brigade members, written procedures
that describe the actions to be taken in
situations involving the special hazards and shall include these in the
training and education program.
(d) Fire fighting equipment. The employer shall maintain and inspect, at
least annually, fire fighting equipment
to assure the safe operational condition of the equipment. Portable fire extinguishers and respirators shall be inspected at least monthly. Fire fighting
equipment that is in damaged or unserviceable condition shall be removed
from service and replaced.
(e) Protective clothing. The following
requirements apply to those employees
who perform interior structural fire
fighting. The requirements do not
apply to employees who use fire extinguishers or standpipe systems to control or extinguish fires only in the incipient stage.
(1) General. (i) The employer shall
provide at no cost to the employee and
assure the use of protective clothing
which complies with the requirements
of this paragraph. The employer shall
assure that protective clothing ordered
or purchased after July 1, 1981, meets
the requirements contained in this
paragraph. As the new equipment is
provided, the employer shall assure
that all fire brigade members wear the
equipment when performing interior

§ 1910.156

structural fire fighting. After July 1,
1985, the employer shall assure that all
fire brigade members wear protective
clothing meeting the requirements of
this paragraph when performing interior structural fire fighting.
(ii) The employer shall assure that
protective clothing protects the head,
body, and extremities, and consists of
at least the following components: foot
and leg protection; hand protection;
body protection; eye, face and head
protection.
(2) Foot and leg protection. (i) Foot
and leg protection shall meet the requirements of paragraphs (e)(2)(ii) and
(e)(2)(iii) of this section, and may be
achieved by either of the following
methods:
(A) Fully extended boots which provide protection for the legs; or
(B) Protective shoes or boots worn in
combination with protective trousers
that meet the requirements of paragraph (e)(3) of this section.
(ii) Protective footwear shall meet
the requirements of §1910.136 for Class
75 footwear. In addition, protective
footwear shall be water-resistant for at
least 5 inches (12.7 cm) above the bottom of the heel and shall be equipped
with slip-resistant outer soles.
(iii) Protective footwear shall be
tested in accordance with paragraph (1)
of appendix E, and shall provide protection against penetration of the midsole
by a size 8D common nail when at least
300 pounds (1330 N) of static force is applied to the nail.
(3) Body protection. (i) Body protection shall be coordinated with foot and
leg protection to ensure full body protection for the wearer. This shall be
achieved by one of the following methods:
(A) Wearing of a fire-resistive coat
meeting the requirements of paragraph
(e)(3)(ii) of this section in combination
with fully extended boots meeting the
requirements of paragraphs (e)(2)(ii)
and (e)(2)(iii) of this section; or
(B) Wearing of a fire-resistive coat in
combination with protective trousers
both of which meet the requirements of
paragraph (e)(3)(ii) of this section.
(ii) The performance, construction,
and testing of fire-resistive coats and
protective trousers shall be at least
equivalent to the requirements of the

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§ 1910.156

29 CFR Ch. XVII (7–1–04 Edition)

National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA) standard NFPA No. 1971–1975,
‘‘Protective Clothing for Structural
Fire Fighting,’’ which is incorporated
by reference as specified in § 1910.6, (See
appendix D to subpart L) with the following permissible variations from
those requirements:
(A) Tearing strength of the outer
shell shall be a minimum of 8 pounds
(35.6 N) in any direction when tested in
accordance with paragraph (2) of appendix E; and
(B) The outer shell may discolor but
shall not separate or melt when placed
in a forced air laboratory oven at a
temperature of 500 °F (260 °C) for a period of five minutes. After cooling to
ambient temperature and using the
test method specified in paragraph (3)
of appendix E, char length shall not exceed 4.0 inches (10.2 cm) and afterflame shall not exceed 2.0 seconds.
(4) Hand protection. (i) Hand protection shall consist of protective gloves
or glove system which will provide protection against cut, puncture, and heat
penetration. Gloves or glove system
shall be tested in accordance with the
test methods contained in the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH) 1976 publication, ‘‘The
Development of Criteria for Fire Fighter’s Gloves; Vol. II, Part II: Test Methods,’’ which is incorporated by reference as specified in § 1910.6, (See appendix D to subpart L) and shall meet
the following criteria for cut, puncture,
and heat penetration:
(A) Materials used for gloves shall resist surface cut by a blade with an edge
having a 60° included angle and a .001
inch (.0025 cm.) radius, under an applied force of 16 lbf (72N), and at a slicing velocity of greater or equal to 60 in/
min (2.5 cm./sec);
(B) Materials used for the palm and
palm side of the fingers shall resist
puncture by a penetrometer (simulating a 4d lath nail), under an applied
force of 13.2 lbf (60N), and at a velocity
greater or equal to 20 in/min (.85 cm./
sec); and
(C) The temperature inside the palm
and gripping surface of the fingers of
gloves shall not exceed 135 °F (57 °C)
when gloves or glove system are exposed to 932 °F (500 °C) for five seconds
at 4 psi (28 kPa) pressure.

(ii) Exterior materials of gloves shall
be flame resistant and shall be tested
in accordance with paragraph (3) of appendix
E.
Maximum
allowable
afterflame shall be 2.0 seconds, and the
maximum char length shall be 4.0
inches (10.2 cm).
(iii) When design of the fire-resistive
coat does not otherwise provide protection for the wrists, protective gloves
shall have wristlets of at least 4.0
inches (10.2 cm) in length to protect
the wrist area when the arms are extended upward and outward from the
body.
(5) Head, eye and face protection. (i)
Head protection shall consist of a protective head device with ear flaps and
chin strap which meet the performance, construction, and testing requirements of the National Fire Safety and
Research Office of the National Fire
Prevention and Control Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
(now known as the U.S. Fire Administration), which are contained in ‘‘Model
Performance Criteria for Structural
Firefighters’ Helmets’’ (August 1977)
which is incorporated by reference as
specified in § 1910.6, (See appendix D to
subpart L).
(ii) Protective eye and face devices
which comply with § 1910.133 shall be
used by fire brigade members when performing operations where the hazards
of flying or falling materials which
may cause eye and face injuries are
present. Protective eye and face devices provided as accessories to protective head devices (face shields) are permitted when such devices meet the requirements of § 1910.133.
(iii) Full facepieces, helmets, or
hoods of breathing apparatus which
meet the requirements of § 1910.134 and
paragraph (f) of this section, shall be
acceptable as meeting the eye and face
protection requirements of paragraph
(e)(5)(ii) of this section.
(f) Respiratory protection devices. (1)
General requirements. (i) The employer
must ensure that respirators are provided to, and used by, fire brigade
members, and that the respirators
meet the requirements of 29 CFR
1910.134 and this paragraph.
(ii) Approved self-contained breathing apparatus with full-facepiece, or

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Occupational Safety and Health Admin., Labor
with approved helmet or hood configuration, shall be provided to and worn
by fire brigade members while working
inside buildings or confined spaces
where toxic products of combustion or
an oxygen deficiency may be present.
Such apparatus shall also be worn during emergency situations involving
toxic substances.
(iii) Approved self-contained breathing apparatus may be equipped with either a ‘‘buddy-breathing’’ device or a
quick disconnect valve, even if these
devices are not certified by NIOSH. If
these accessories are used, they shall
not cause damage to the apparatus, or
restrict the air flow of the apparatus,
or obstruct the normal operation of the
apparatus.
(iv) Approved self-contained compressed air breathing apparatus may be
used with approved cylinders from
other approved self-contained compressed air breathing apparatus provided that such cylinders are of the
same capacity and pressure rating. All
compressed air cylinders used with
self-contained
breathing
apparatus
shall meet DOT and NIOSH criteria.
(v)
Self-contained
breathing
apparatuses must have a minimum
service-life rating of 30 minutes in accordance with the methods and requirements specified by NIOSH under
42 CFR part 84, except for escape selfcontained
breathing
apparatus
(ESCBAs) used only for emergency escape purposes.
(vi) Self-contained breathing apparatus shall be provided with an indicator which automatically sounds an
audible alarm when the remaining
service life of the apparatus is reduced
to within a range of 20 to 25 percent of
its rated service time.
(2) Positive-pressure breathing apparatus. (i) The employer shall assure
that self-contained breathing apparatus ordered or purchased after July 1,
1981, for use by fire brigade members
performing interior structural fire
fighting operations, are of the pressure-demand or other positive-pressure
type. Effective July 1, 1983, only pressure-demand or other positive-pressure
self-contained
breathing
apparatus
shall be worn by fire brigade members
performing interior structural fire
fighting.

§ 1910.157

(ii) This paragraph does not prohibit
the use of a self-contained breathing
apparatus where the apparatus can be
switched from a demand to a positivepressure mode. However, such apparatus shall be in the positive-pressure
mode when fire brigade members are
performing interior structural fire
fighting operations.
[45 FR 60706, Sept. 12, 1980; 46 FR 24557, May
1, 1981; 49 FR 18295, Apr. 30, 1984; 61 FR 9239,
Mar. 7, 1996; 63 FR 1284, Jan. 8, 1998; 63 FR
33467, June 18, 1998]

PORTABLE FIRE SUPPRESSION
EQUIPMENT
§ 1910.157 Portable fire extinguishers.
(a) Scope and application. The requirements of this section apply to the
placement, use, maintenance, and testing of portable fire extinguishers provided for the use of employees. Paragraph (d) of this section does not apply
to extinguishers provided for employee
use on the outside of workplace buildings or structures. Where extinguishers
are provided but are not intended for
employee use and the employer has an
emergency action plan and a fire prevention plan that meet the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.38 and 29 CFR
1910.39 respectively, then only the requirements of paragraphs (e) and (f) of
this section apply.
(b) Exemptions. (1) Where the employer has established and implemented a written fire safety policy
which requires the immediate and total
evacuation of employees from the
workplace upon the sounding of a fire
alarm signal and which includes an
emergency action plan and a fire prevention plan which meet the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.38 and 29 CFR
1910.39 respectively, and when extinguishers are not available in the workplace, the employer is exempt from all
requirements of this section unless a
specific standard in part 1910 requires
that a portable fire extinguisher be
provided.
(2) Where the employer has an emergency action plan meeting the requirements of § 1910.38 which designates certain employees to be the only employees authorized to use the available
portable fire extinguishers, and which
requires all other employees in the fire

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