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PPE for EMS Calls or shorts?
Our department requires that on call firefighters who are wearing shorts when responding to a medical must cover them with either Wildland Gear or Structural gear. Is this an uncommon requirement for the bloodborne pathogens? Or how many departments allow firefighters to wear shorts on alarms?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kayla Bartlett on
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you have to at least have your bunker gear on. you can not wear shorts to calls and if you do dont expect to be doing anything you mine as well just go back home... my dept wont let you near a person if you dont have the proper ppe on..
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Permalink Reply by ERCVFD 842 C. Warren on
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Okay ya'll here's my thing, I don't know about some areas in the country, but I'm guessing it's a problem everywhere, but here in the "country" and poorer parts of Tennessee we have alot of houses that we go into for ems and fire calls that the residents have trash, dirty clothes and who knows what else piled waist high in some areas, and I would NOT enter them in anything less than long pant(in some of the houses I've been in I wish I had had a CLASS A Hazmat suit!! LOL!!). One house that I entered on a BLS call had dirty adult and infant diapers all over the place and the smell was aweful. What I'm saying is that the skin is NOT a infection barrier, PPE is required on all pt contact, or so I think it should be at least, and some depts do require that. Docs and nurses may not wear PPE on all pts, but they have a big folder called a "MEDICAL RECORD" that tells everything about this pt medically, on the ambulance or fire truck we do NOT, we don't know jack about what this pt has, even if they look clean or as if they don't have anything, they might still have something BAD. Just take a second and put on your PPE(gloves, pants, bunker gear or long sleeves if you chose) always better off safe then sorry, I don't want someone's fuilds on me even if they don't have anything, I guess it's just a mental thing for me. Ya'll have a good week and stay safe!!
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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Ding, ding, ding...we have a winner!
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Permalink Reply by chele on
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Since we are volunteer we respond from where ever we are at, in what ever we are wearing. I work in an office and wear dresses most days. I keep a pair of scrub pants at the EMS barn to slip on as we head out. I have responded without them though. To me it's a moot point, becuause if I kneel down into bodily fluids it's going to soak through my clothing and reach skin nearly as quickly as it will if I'm bare legged.
For fire it doesn't matter, dresses go into bunker pants as easily as shorts and even easier than jeans!
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Permalink Reply by Gary Dreyer on
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I did have one comment come in from another forum for those of you who do wear shorts and use the "soaking" theory, I agree the barrier of the long pants against blood soaking through is minimal however it was pointed out that aerosolized pathogens Ie. the small droplets from sneezes coughing and whatever else would be prevented from sitting on the legs, as for the arms I know if I suspect something of this nature Im washing my hands and arms however I may not think about washing my legs?
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Permalink Reply by Brian Dumser on
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Shorts must be covered by bunker pants! I would NEVER want to kneel down at a scene with bare knees. There are times when you go to stand up at a scene and it's only then you notice that you almost kneeled on a syringe or some glass! Stay safe people!
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Permalink Reply by Matthew Brough on
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We wear shorts and sandals. What ever you're wearing when the page goes off. I've even worn shorts when working on our ambulance. It's a volunteer ambulance, if they want to tell me what to wear, they are going to have to pay me more than $0.25 per hour!!!
Seriously though, it seems the proverbial "shit hits the fan" the day I decide to wear shorts!
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Permalink Reply by Ashleigh on
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We're required to cover shorts not only because of the potential hazard for haz mats but because our chief thinks it (and I agree) to be unprofessional. What other job where you have lots of contact with the public and earn respect can you wear shorts?? None!
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Permalink Reply by Patience Ryan on
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that would depend on the job. I just got home from a weekend of work (105-115 degree temps) where I was the odd one for wearing long pants and not shorts, in contact with a crowd of 20,000+ people. Unless you're implying that I can't earn respect if I wear shorts on the job.
I don't want my bunker pants in my house, why would I want to take them into someone else's home for a medical call? as for changing into pants before responding? It already takes me 5-7 min to get to the station. change clothes and you add probably 5 more to that. My station has 7 members and one doesn't respond to medical calls. The pager goes off, I respond in whatever I'm wearing at the time. Unless I was asleep, then I do get dressed first. My personal preference for shorts is they have to be long enough to cover my knees when I'm sitting down. So, even if I am responding in shorts, they are not that short of shorts.
In response to Chris and Gary. if I'm in shorts (or pants), and respond to a location that is a problem, (ie flies, stench, etc. been on a few already) I'm probably taking a full shower as soon as I can, like in the shower in the station when I get back from the call just to make me feel better. It really comes down to scene safety and BSI. Slow down, look around and take care of yourself and your people first. You're not going to put your knee on that syringe or broken glass if you looked first. Simple yet hard to practice, I know. I tend to want to run in and get the job done. Who knows maybe because I'm still fairly new ( 2 1/2 yr EMT-B, 3 months as a FF) all the safety stuff that got pounded into my head in initial training is still in the forefront.
you all have a good day and stay safe.
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Permalink Reply by Dale on
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we carry our bunker with us, but other wise were wearing pants and station shirt
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We don't wear bunker pants to those calls, they're jumpsuits. And I don't have to worry about making it to the station because most of us respond POV. I'm not implying you can't get respect while wearing shorts, it's just usually considered unprofessional in the workplace. I know I'm new, and I know I have lots of things to learn, just sharing information and taking advice!!
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