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What is Your Department's SOPs on Turnout Gear on Medical Runs?
I was told I can not wear my bunker pants on aid runs. Since that time I have been exposed to more bodily fluids than I care to talk about. After a talk with the chief he said wear them if I like. But the next in the officer in line says NO. My First Responder instructor taught us to wear them they are just part of BSI.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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Thanks for the explanation.
As long as the bunkers are actually kept clean, I don't see a problem.
I do keep mine clean enough to wear into someone's home without getting that home dirty, smelly, or contaminated. It takes some work, as I'm a training officer and we do a lot of live fire training.
The critical factors are call volume, what happens on those calls, and the cleaning/disinfection effort made in between calls. Those are all much more important than exactly what you wear.
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Permalink Reply by John Dobson on
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Ok some say not to wear it on every call. How do you judge when to wear them without being on scene. I have been on simple lift assist that have turn to codes and alot of things we would have never guessed was going to happen. So how do you guys know? Most of the nastys we have been in are on simple lift assist. Not wanting at all to be a smartass just needing help knowing how to judge when.
We once went to a " chest pain call " and if I were called there again I would not enter without a tyvek suit and scba. There were farm animals in the house and are shoes sunk two inches in the wet manure. It was a whole lot worse than any cattle barn I have ever been in and I have been in alot. I would not even wear my bunkers in there. When we were paged I had no idea this was going to be like this.
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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
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How do you judge when to wear them without being on scene. I have been on simple lift assist that have turn to codes and alot of things we would have never guessed was going to happen. So how do you guys know?
John, in many cases you don't know the scene until you do get there, but it doesn't mean one needs to be encapsualted in bunkers or PPE. The standard, basic PPE, is usually all you are going to need, such as gloves and eyewear. Other basic PPE like sleeves and masks should be kept in the med bag that you bring in with you. This way for majority of all calls you have your basics covered, anything else, you should be able to adjust accordinly.
I have also encountered nasty scenes and didn't wear bunkers, nor had a need to. In majority of cases, the pt can be easily removed from such a scene without having to kneel in or be around the contaminants. Such ways to remove a pt include using a longboard, put a blanket under the pt and move them to another room, use a lifter sheet etc. Instead of kneeling, squat down so you don't have to kneel on the floor etc.
Also it helps to have a basic understanding of the contaminats out there and how they would affect you. For the most part just because you may get some blood on your skin, you are fine. The only times there should be a worry is if you have an open wound. Contaminants like facal matter and urine are more of a smell and sight nastiness than really affecting you. Again most issues are going to be if you have open sores or wounds, moreso than just exposed skin. Skin is actually a very tough and protective organ in the body.
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Skin is tough but I still don't want it on me. I don't think I could give good CPR without kneeling. My knees just could not hold out that long and I don't know anyone who could. The lift assist has got bad on the lift something breaks free as we lift. It does not happen all the time but it does happen.
I am like a boy scout always prepared, I prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
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Do as you want John, I was answering your question of how one knows. What I have seen in this thread are the ones really advocating the wearing of bunkers are mostly volunteers who probably don't get too many runs. Whereas I'm speaking from a standpoint of one who runs several calls a workday and have been in many nasty environments. It has been my experience that the basic PPE is really all you need, even on those nasty calls.
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Permalink Reply by Ric Lavallee on
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Hear, hear. Our gear is not a BSI barrier, It is a fire barrier.
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If your gear is NFPA-compliant, the vapor barrier is also a BSI barrier.
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Permalink Reply by EngineLadder on
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When you work in fire houses that are over a 100 years old and in a city that does not care about fixing AC units you would see why. In the summer I sleep in gym shorts, and because sliding down a pole in shorts is a delicate if not painful operation the ones that choose to sleep in shorts take our pants and put them next to the pole hole or our bed. Now the only time that I wear my TOG personally is on box alarms, on the highway my coat, if we get picked up for a medic run coming back from a box or if it is cold outside.
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Permalink Reply by capcityff on
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I agree with what EngineLadder said. We have old fire houses. They are built completely different. A lot of newer suburban houses have carpet and new furniture. We don't have any of that so there is really nothing to ruin.
Also, most suburban houses don't have poles. I will not slide that pole in gym shorts if I don't have to.
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Just change when you get there then. Like I said, we may run over 20 runs in a tour. This means you wear your bunker gear for 24 hours straight. That would be just stupid.
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