Project: Saving the lives of rescue service personnel

Rescue teams and emergency medical services providers need effective personal protection equipment (PPE) to protect themselves from the dangers faced on the job in saving lives and protecting property. The snap decisions made by rescue teams can make a difference between life and death, rescue or recovery. This explains why it is necessary to select the best protective clothing and hazmat gear for each potential situation they will face.

In Wyoming, USA the local fire department was called to the recreation centre to deal with a potentially dangerous situation. The training pool employed a standard filtration system using liquid sodium hypochlorite and hydrochloric acid. In the summer peak, the maintenance staff accidently mixed a small amount of sodium hypochlorite solution into the hydrochloric acid.

The immediate result was a strong smelling gas that burned the eyes and lungs the staff members evacuated the recreation centre. Unknowingly, they had created chlorine gas, one of the world’s first chemical weapons used to date in conflicts across the world. Chlorine gas exposure can lead to nausea and vomiting, burning pain, redness and skin blistering.

The fire department was called to ensure public safety and assist with the continuing chemical reaction occurring in the maintenance room with the open containers of sodium hypochlorite solution and hydrochloric acid. The fire department team chose to use the latest single-skin, flame-resistant chemical protective suits that are certified to the highest NFPA 1991 standards available. The suits are made from a single skin designed by Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics to Level A protection. These suits are designed to protect the wearer from chemical and biological agents in liquid and/or vapour form as well as flash fire and chemical fires.

The fire rescue team put on their suits and breathing apparatus and entered the building. “Once we gained entry, we discovered that the new style suits are very easy to move around in - with our old hazmat suits we were always worried about tearing but the new suits are really flexible and durable.” The fire team sealed the sodium hypochlorite solution and hydrochloric acid tanks and vented the rooms of all gases without any danger to themselves or the public.

From dealing with accidents such as the one mentioned above through to chemical fire and biological accidents, hazmat suits and the materials they are constructed from are graded to the environmental exposure they will receive. Level A gear is required when the environment poses a greatest risk of respiratory, eye or skin damage from hazardous vapours, gases, particulates, sudden splash, immersion or contact with hazardous materials. This level of suit involves encapsulation in a vapour-tight chemical suit with the use of self-contained breathing apparatus.

Level B gear is required when the environment demands the highest degree of respiratory protection but less skin protection. This type of gear typically does not provide protection from vapours and requires the breathing apparatus. Level C is required when the environment has the potential for liquid splash and chemical splash. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics has developed a range of single-skin hazmat and chemical suits to suit every level of requirement.