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Ear/Hearing protection on the fire scene
I have taken the responsiblity of maintaining all of our "small motor" equipment down at the station ie. chainsaws, K12, generator lights, etc. I normally wear a small set of earplugs but couldnt seem to find any yesterday. While running on of the chainsaws, I started thinking about how firefighters who use these tools on a daily basis may be damaging their hearing.
Lets think about this...
A firefighter who works in a real active house may see multiple fires a day, After doing some research; I unfortunatly could not find an average decible level of being inside a structure fire. We all know though that it is certainly not quiet. Add on top of that sirens (dCB level of 100), chainsaws (dCB level of 120), and firefighters trying to communicate with one another (dCB level of 60-75) and you have one noisy enviornment.
Being exposed to dCB levels as low as 80 for approx. fifteen minutes a day can cause slight weakening of the eardrum. Prolonged exposure to higher levels can lead to temporary or permanent hearing loss.
So... how do we solve this problem? It is hard enough to communicate with one another on the firescene. (Being inside a burning house and trying to talk on your radio is not easy), Not to mention the fact that knowing what to listen for when inside the structure is a key part of being safe.
Is there anyway to protect firefighter's hearing without compromising communication on the firescene?
Lets think about this...
A firefighter who works in a real active house may see multiple fires a day, After doing some research; I unfortunatly could not find an average decible level of being inside a structure fire. We all know though that it is certainly not quiet. Add on top of that sirens (dCB level of 100), chainsaws (dCB level of 120), and firefighters trying to communicate with one another (dCB level of 60-75) and you have one noisy enviornment.
Being exposed to dCB levels as low as 80 for approx. fifteen minutes a day can cause slight weakening of the eardrum. Prolonged exposure to higher levels can lead to temporary or permanent hearing loss.
So... how do we solve this problem? It is hard enough to communicate with one another on the firescene. (Being inside a burning house and trying to talk on your radio is not easy), Not to mention the fact that knowing what to listen for when inside the structure is a key part of being safe.
Is there anyway to protect firefighter's hearing without compromising communication on the firescene?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by DUST on
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We have an industrial size box of earplugs mounted on the wall beside our work bench so you always have them when you are checking the tools and equipment. I keep a few pairs in my pockets and we have a ziplock bag of them in each truck cab. Using them will compromise communications but it's situational. If you respond to an airport terminal ramp or an industrial facility, and your treating a patient then waiting on an ambulance to transport, you'll be glad to have them. Hearing tests as part of a yearly physical are important too.
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Permalink Reply by Dustin J. Millis on
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Those are some good ideas. We also have... (well, had) the large box of earplugs on our workbench. The problem was that they were all gone.... I like the thought of keeping them on the trucks though. There are some times when we could be using them where communication would not be compromised. I like hearing tests as part of the physical as well... I will have to keep that one in mind.
I really want to know what you think about hearing protection on the scene of a fire though...
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