| (a) The fire department shall develop written procedures that
comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Final Rule,
29 CFR Section 1910.134(g)(4) by requiring:
(1) a team of at least four fire protection personnel must
be assembled before an interior fire attack can be made when the fire has
progressed beyond the incipient stage;
(2) at least two fire protection personnel to enter the IDLH
atmosphere and remain in visual or voice (not radio) contact with each other;
(A) Visual means that the fire protection personnel must be
close enough to see each other.
(B) Voice means that the fire protection personnel of the entry
team must be close enough to speak to one another without the use of radios.
(3) at least two fire protection personnel remain located outside
the IDLH atmosphere to perform rescue of the fire protection personnel inside
the IDLH atmosphere;
(4) all fire protection personnel engaged in interior structural
fire fighting use self-contained breathing apparatus and be clothed in a complete
set of protective clothing as identified in Chapter 435;
(5) all fire protection personnel located outside the IDLH
atmosphere be equipped with appropriate retrieval equipment where retrieval
equipment would contribute to the rescue of the fire protection personnel
that have entered the IDLH atmosphere;
(6) one of the outside fire protection personnel must actively
monitor the status of the inside fire protection personnel and not be assigned
other duties. The second outside fire protection personnel may be assigned
to an additional role, including, but not limited to, incident commander,
safety officer, driver-operator, command technician or aide, or fire fighter/EMS
personnel, so long as this individual is able to perform assistance or rescue
activities without jeopardizing the safety or health of any fire protection
personnel working at the scene;
(7) the fire protection personnel outside the IDLH atmosphere
must remain in communication (including, but not limited to, radio) with the
fire protection personnel in the IDLH atmosphere. Use of a signal line (rope)
as a communications instrument for interior fire fighting is not permitted
by the commission. This does not preclude the use of rescue guide ropes (guide
line or lifeline or by what ever name they may be called) used during structural
searches; and
(8) each outside fire protection personnel must have a complete
set of protective clothing and self-contained breathing apparatus, as identified
in Chapter 435, immediately accessible for use if the need for rescue activities
inside the IDLH atmosphere is necessary.
(b) The fire department shall comply with the 2-in/2-out rule
as described in this section except in an imminent life-threatening situation
when immediate action could prevent the loss of life or serious injury before
the team of four fire protection personnel are assembled.
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