Well we have gone back and fourth on this around the fire house about safty glasses requeirede on the fire scene. Personaly I do agree to a point we should wear them exp. ems, extercation or overhauling where thiers a change of getthing something in your eyes. but going inside for a alarm off or working on a fire ground it's pain in the ass to were them. We been told it is osha violation if we doin't where them I do understand in some buissness it can be of what their doing thier but not for us so much I don't think I have ever seen any other company where them before. I'm looking for some input if anyone eles requires it and if it is true about osha or any other agenices requirements to wearing them.
Our department SOG says that we carry safety glasses at all times, they provided each of us with a pair, a zip case to carry them in and a carbinier hook to atach them to the bunker coat. I also keep a bottle of eye drops in the case, they really help the eyes feel better after being on air or a grass fire.
I wear them on all MVA's medical calls and any other working call.
As someone said it takes very little time to lose an eye. Better to be safe than sorry.
i think it would be very useful at a MVA and first responder calls, but other than that, they are really no help. they would help at MVA's and first reponder calls because of bloodborne pathogens, but at a fire, just use goggles or something unless your wearing an scba.
I think that if your department can afford to purchase them then it would be a good idea. Think of it like this, your on the fireground and things start going bad, you need to get to the front door to help out a co-worker and you don't need to put on and scba or anything but you do have those glasses on just in case debris have a chance to get into your eyes. a lot of helmet's visor's aren't standard for OHSA standards thats why with my department we have a set of googles attached to our helmets for things like that.
We wear our SCBA's as well, but the facepieces are not on when responding to alarms, I assume this is what you mean. It's only common sense to have the pack on and be ready. I have never entered a building for any kind of fire call (alarm, smell of smoke, etc), or CO call or gas leak call, etc without my pack on, it's actually an SOP and common sense.
As for glasses, they are always in my pocket, on for med calls and extrication, but always on hand because you never know what you're going to encounter.
My department just jumped on this in a huge way, we went from shields were good enough to our safety officer climbing down our throats if we do not have them on. It is funny though getting yelled at by a sefety officer who is not even wearing thim himself.
My department does not require them, but I wear them anyway. My perspective is I'd rather have them on and not need them, then need them and not have them on. Besides if you are at a scene and get something in your eyes, you won't be any good to your Dept. or any possible victims. So I suggest wearing them because my objective is to make sure everyone goes home with out injury. FF safety.
well in a way i guess i am lucky,,i have to wear glasses all the time so by nature buy safety lens..only time they come off is when the scba mask goes on. for others,,,just makes for good idea to protect your eyes,,,they havent found a good replacement for them yet..stay safe..and be sure you get good glasses ..the cheap safty glasses are actually not good for your eyes..too much distortion in them
Try it this way, ask yourself what is the cost you pay if you aren't wearing safety glasses and you get hurt? The glasses are next to nothing in cost. You could buy a box of them and throw them away everytime after use and still be $$s ahead. I keep a pr in the turnouts in the plastic wrapping they come with, when needed out they come, then they go back into the wrap for next time. When the get scratched up I toss them and get new pair. Zimm
Many of the cheap safety glasses nowadays have very little distortion and cost about $2 a pair! So departments, or individuals, don't need to lay out a wad of money to protect their eyes like they used to! And as Don said, you can toss them out at the end of every shift....or after they do their job by stopping something that would have taken out you eye, or by stopping those airborne droplets of antifreeze while working a MVA call, or even those bodily fluids they get airborne sometimes...
I keep some in our "Be Prepared" bags I keep in the car, for those times when I’m a Good Samaritan and need some PPE.