The National Institute for Occupation Safety and Health (NIOSH) is surveying emergency service departments to see how well equipped they are to respond to a variety of situations.
Specifically, NIOSH would like to know how many departments will have or have on order the new class of breathing apparatus intended for use by first-responders to chemical/biological/radiological/nuclear (CBRN) events by Sept. 30. The deadline to turn in the completed form is Oct. 15.
The CBRN class of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) has been available for certification since late 2002. In addition to the normal SCBA criteria, the CBRN equipment passes requirements for resistance to special chemicals. The CBRN requirements have been implemented by NIOSH in response to requests from the fire fighting community and others.
The form should be sent to the attention of Dennis Groce. Faxes can be sent to (304) 285-6111. Mailed forms should be sent to NIOSH, M/S HG900.2, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505.
Sandy Smith is the former content director of EHS Today, and is currently the EHSQ content & community lead at Intelex Technologies Inc. She has written about occupational safety and health and environmental issues since 1990.
