Question for Arlington members

[tdc202 0]

The other dday while driving on Innis Ave heading towards salt Point turnpike,I saw one of arlington's ambulances and a fly car in front of a house.The crew as on the way out with a pt on the stretcher and the crew was wearing there vests. Is this Standard on all calls now? Or was this because the crew would be on Innis Ave for a few minutes? Either way i thought it was a good Idea. Thanks

[DCJPells 29]

The other dday while driving on Innis Ave heading towards salt Point turnpike,I saw one of arlington's ambulances and a fly car in front of a house.The crew as on the way out with a pt on the stretcher and the crew was wearing there vests. Is this Standard on all calls now? Or was this because the crew would be on Innis Ave for a few minutes? Either way i thought it was a good Idea. Thanks

Our gudeline for Operations on or near roadways

Operations on or near roadwaysof any kind can present dangers to the workers from people in passing vehicles. Many emergency responders have been killed and injured as a result of these operations. There are precautions that are need to be taken to lessen these incidents from occurring.

A new standard has been developed for workers on Federal Aided Highways (including emergency responders). 23 CFR Part 634 – Workers Visibility establishes the policy for the use of high-visibility safety apparel (hi-vis garments) ANSI/ISEA 207-2006: American National Standard for High-Visibility Public Safety Vests has been set and defined to address the particulars of the garments themselves to be worn for this standard. Since all major roads and many local roads are considered to be “Federal Aided Highways”, we will utilize one guideline to cover all roadway incidents. Your operational role and traffic conditions will dictate the way these hi-vis garments are worn to provide conspicuity during both daytime and nighttime.

Motor Vehicle Incidents:

MVA’s, fires and hazardous conditions caused by vehicles can place emergency responders directly on or adjacent to the roadway. All incidents need to be immediately evaluated as to whether traffic needs to proceed past the incident. The initial safest course of action is to have traffic rerouted around an incident. Members who are involved in the re-routing of traffic MUST wear appropriate hi-vis garments.

Normal firefighting gear does not meet the requirements set by the standard. As such, any member involved in traffic direction practices or immediately adjacent to the operation, cannot be wearing firefighting gear only. Dependent on the weather, a hi-vis garments must be worn alone or over the firefighting gear.

Vehicular fire operations are to be followed as if in an IDLH atmosphere as to the use of PPE and SCBA. Hi-viz vests are not to be worn during extinguishment operations. Traffic must be stopped in the immediate vicinity and if possible and practical, re-routed.

Once the immediate emergency is mitigated, all members are to don a hi-vis garment. This can be in the form of wearing the garment alone or over other protective gear (Firefighting) dependant on weather conditions, functions of the member and the IC’s decision. Mitigation does not include investigation of vehicle incidents. The appropriateness of wearing Hi-vis garments shall be determined by the IC during overhaul operations of vehicle fires.

Ambulance calls:

All ambulance calls that do not have a rescue component, require all members involved to wear hi-vis garments at all times. This will ensure that if members are operating on or near the roadway, they will have the appropriate level of visibility. Rescue operations that are required during any ambulance call will require an appropriate level of PPE for the operation and necessitate traffic re-routed. Members who are involved in the re-routing of traffic MUST wear appropriate hi-vis garments.

Fires: Structure

An area shall be shut down in the vicinity of the structure to all traffic during firefighting operations and traffic re-routed around the incident. This area may expand as necessary for adequate operations as needed. Members who are involved in the re-routing of traffic MUST wear appropriate hi-vis garments. Any area used as a level 2 staging area, shall have the control members (officers and staff) in hi-vis garments.

Fires: Brush, Grass, Rubbish

Fires that are adjacent to roadways shall be determined by what is burning and the area involved as to the necessity to shut down the roadways to traffic. When this is done, the hi-vis garments do not need to be worn in the immediate vicinity of the incident. Any time SCBA is used, the area MUST to be shut down and traffic re-routed. Members who are involved in the re-routing of traffic MUST wear appropriate hi-vis garments.

Areas off the road such as parking lots, fields, woods, etc., may require control of traffic to some degree for access to the incident. These members will be treated as if they were re-routing traffic and MUST wear appropriate hi-vis garments.

Vests:

There will be a supply of vests on all apparatus. As time and funds permit, members will be issued a vest as part of their PPE inventory. The vest must be worn in accordance with this policy.

[tdc202 0]

Thank you Chief