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NFPA 1500, Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety, Health, and Wellness Program

2021 NFPA 1500 Standard - Current Edition
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  • Description

    Help ensure your department or emergency response organization has the knowledge it needs to mitigate the risks of on-the-job hazards.

    The challenges of keeping fire fighting and emergency service personnel safe and healthy are always changing. NFPA 1500™, Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety, Health, and Wellness Program, 2021 edition is revised to account for the latest industry trends, developments, and best practices.

    The standard offers comprehensive criteria and performance requirements for career, volunteer, private, and military fire departments and organizations that provide rescue, fire suppression, emergency medical services, hazardous materials mitigation, special operations, and other emergency services. You get the information to help safely control on-the-job hazards, reduce accidents and injuries, and improve performance and effectiveness.

    Content covers:

    • Firefighter training
    • Use of protective clothing and equipment
    • Vehicles, tools, and equipment
    • Emergency operations
    • Medical and physical requirements
    • Exposure to fireground toxic contaminants
    • Incident stress

    NFPA 1500 features updated requirements for developing, implementing, and maintaining an occupational safety, health, and wellness program.

    For the 2021 edition, the most current research and information about cleaning equipment and personnel were utilized to enhance those sections of the standard. In Chapter 14, the term preliminary exposure reduction provides requirements that include science-based techniques for fire departments and their members to clean equipment and themselves after exposure to a routine fire incident. Initial exposure reduction is separate from decontamination from a hazardous materials incident, and more exposure reporting and tracking requirements for members and departments are included. It is intended these requirements will create detailed records for members of when and how long they were exposed to contaminants—records that could assist in future research, medical needs, diagnoses, and more.

    Prioritize safety in your department by complying with the latest edition of the standard.

    NFPA 1500, Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety, Health, and Wellness Program, is a vital document for helping to protect personnel from work-related dangers. Order your copy of the 2021 edition today.

  • Table of Contents (2021 Current Edition)

    NFPA 1500TM Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety, Health, and Wellness Program, 2021 Edition

    Chapter 1 Administration
    1.1 Scope.
    1.2 Purpose.
    1.3 Application.
    1.4 Equivalency.
    1.5 Adoption Requirements.
    Chapter 2 Referenced Publications
    2.1 General.
    2.2 NFPA Publications.
    2.3 Other Publications.
    2.4 References for Extracts in Mandatory Sections.
    Chapter 3 Definitions
    3.1 General.
    3.2 Official NFPA Definitions.
    3.3 General Definitions.
    Chapter 4 Fire Department Administration
    4.1 Fire Department Organizational Statement.
    4.2 Risk Management Plan.
    4.3 Safety and Health Policy.
    4.4 Roles and Responsibilities.
    4.5 Occupational Safety and Health Committee.
    4.6 Records.
    4.7 Appointment of the Health and Safety Officer.
    Chapter 5 Training, Education, and Professional Development
    5.1 General Requirements.
    5.2 Member Qualifications.
    5.3 Training Requirements.
    5.4 Special Operations Training.
    5.5 Member Proficiency.
    5.6 Training Activities.
    Chapter 6 Fire Apparatus, Equipment, and Drivers/Operators
    6.1 Fire Department Apparatus.
    6.2 Drivers/Operators of Fire Department Apparatus.
    6.3 Riding in Fire Apparatus.
    6.4 Inspection, Maintenance, and Repair of Fire Apparatus.
    6.5 Tools and Equipment.
    Chapter 7 Protective Clothing and Protective Equipment
    7.1 General.
    7.2 Protective Clothing for Structural Fire Fighting.
    7.3 Protective Clothing for Proximity Fire-Fighting Operations.
    7.4 Protective Clothing for Emergency Medical Operations.
    7.5 Protective Clothing and Equipment for Fire Inspections.
    7.6 Chemical-Protective Clothing for Hazardous Materials Emergency Operations.
    7.7 Inspection, Maintenance, and Disposal of Chemical-Protective Clothing.
    7.8 Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting.
    7.9 Protective Ensembles for Technical Rescue Operations.
    7.10 Protective Clothing and Equipment for Surface Water Operations.
    7.11 Protective Clothing for Fire Investigators.
    7.12 Respiratory Protection Program.
    7.13 Breathing Air.
    7.14 Respiratory Protection Equipment.
    7.15 Fit Testing.
    7.16 Using Respiratory Protection.
    7.17 SCBA Cylinders.
    7.18 Personal Alert Safety System (PASS).
    7.19 Life Safety Rope and System Components.
    7.20 Face and Eye Protection.
    7.21 Hearing Protection.
    7.22 Ballistic Protective Equipment.
    7.23 New and Existing Protective Clothing and Protective Equipment.
    Chapter 8 Emergency Operations
    8.1 Incident Management.
    8.2 Communications.
    8.3 Crew Resource Management (CRM) During Emergency Operations.
    8.4 Risk Management During Emergency Operations.
    8.5 Personnel Accountability During Emergency Operations.
    8.6 Members Operating at Emergency Incidents.
    8.7 Emergency Incident Hazard Control Zones.
    8.8 Rapid Intervention for Rescue of Members.
    8.9 Rehabilitation During Emergency Operations.
    8.10 Scenes of Violence, Civil Unrest, or Terrorism.
    8.11 Post-Incident Analysis.
    Chapter 9 Traffic Incident Management
    9.1 Reserved.
    9.2 Emergency Operations at Traffic Incidents.
    9.3 Placement of Apparatus and Warning Devices.
    9.4 Use of Apparatus as a Blocking Device.
    Chapter 10 Facility Safety
    10.1 Safety Standards.
    10.2 Inspections.
    10.3 Maintenance and Repairs.
    10.4 Station Alerting.
    10.5 Contamination Control Inside Facilities.
    Chapter 11 Medical and Physical Requirements
    11.1 Medical Requirements.
    11.2 Physical Performance Requirements.
    11.3 Health and Fitness.
    11.4 Confidential Health Data Base.
    11.5 Infection Control.
    11.6 Fire Department Physician.
    11.7 Fitness for Duty Evaluations.
    Chapter 12 Behavioral Health and Wellness Programs
    12.1 Behavioral Health Program.
    12.2 Wellness Program.
    Chapter 13 Occupational Exposure to Potentially Traumatic Events
    13.1 General.
    Chapter 14 Exposure to Contaminants
    14.1 Training.
    14.2 Prevention and Mitigation.
    14.3 Risk of Exposure to Contaminants.
    14.4 Cleaning and Maintenance.
    14.5 Mitigation of Contaminant Exposure.
    14.6 Incident Contaminant Reduction and Personal Hygiene.
    14.7 Exposure Reporting Requirements.
    14.8 Exposure Report Retention and Access.
    Annex A Explanatory Material
    Annex B Monitoring Compliance with a Fire Service Occupational Safety, Health, and Wellness Program
    Annex C Building Hazard Assessment
    Annex D Risk Management Plan Factors
    Annex E Selection of Hazardous Materials and CBRN Protective Ensembles
    Annex F Sample Facility Inspector Checklists
    Annex G Informational References
  • How the NFPA Handbooks Differ from Codes and Standards

    THE NFPA HANDBOOKS DIFFER FROM CODES AND STANDARDS

    Ever wonder what the difference is between an NFPA® handbook and a code or standard? We’re glad you asked.

    NFPA codes and standards both provide requirements for achieving outcomes. Handbooks take a deeper dive, providing the full text of a code or standard as well as expert commentary and features such as graphics, decision trees, testing procedures, case studies, sample forms and checklists, and other helpful aids to give a better understanding of the reasoning behind the requirements and how to apply them.

    JUST REMEMBER:

    • A code or standard is a framework—a set of rules to follow with a goal to achieve a certain result
    • A handbook is a connector—linking requirements to application by helping you understand the reasoning behind a code or standard

    The simplest way to think about it is that codes and standards list the technical requirements while handbooks explain those requirements to clarify how to apply them.

  • Prior Editions

    2018 Edition

    Update to the 2018 edition of NFPA 1500™ and give your fire department members the best tools to safely control on-the-job hazards, so they can maximize performance and effectiveness.

    As needs of the fire service continue to change, NFPA 1500, Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety, Health, and Wellness Program responds to incorporate new industry developments and lessons learned. The important 2018 edition of this "umbrella" document provides the latest performance requirements for every aspect of health and safety in career, volunteer, private, and military fire departments. NFPA 1500 provides the protocols required for everything from fire fighter training, vehicles, and tools to emergency operations, medical and physical requirements, incident stress, and the use of protective clothing and equipment.

    This edition includes major updates, such as:

    • A new section that requires the provision of appropriately fitted ballistic protection for any department members who respond to and/or are exposed to risks during civil unrest, active shooter incidents, or similar events
    • A change that rules out approved use of external riding positions in wildland apparatus from Section 14.4 of NFPA 1906, Standard on Protective Ensembles for First Responders to CBRN Terrorism Incidents
    • Stronger language that prohibits riding on any external section of an apparatus and requires all occupants to be seatbelted in vehicles
    • Revised and strengthened language that requires unified command for the purpose of managing incidents
    • New requirements for the training, use, and limitations of PPE
    • New requirements addressing not only the ensemble but also ensemble elements, including anything that has been added to the ensemble
    • New or updated requirements governing the cleaning and care of PPE as well as station/work uniforms
    • Revised and rewritten Chapters 11 and 12 concerning fire fighter health and wellness and exposure to atypical stressful events, to address this ever-evolving area

    When lives are on the line, give your department members the best protection possible.

    Update to the new NFPA 1500 and put the latest occupational safety and health requirements to work for you. (Print, Approx. 84 pp., 2018)

    2013 Edition

    Update to the 2013 NFPA 1500 and prepare your team to safely control on-the-job hazards so they can maximize performance and effectiveness.

    As needs of the fire service continue to change at a rapid pace, NFPA 1500, Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program responds to incorporate new industry developments and lessons learned. The 2013 edition of this "umbrella" document provides the latest performance requirements for every aspect of health and safety in career, volunteer, private, and military fire departments. This essential document provides the protocols required for everything from fire fighter training, vehicles, and tools to emergency operations, medical and physical requirements, incident stress, and protective clothing and equipment.

    Make sure you're up-to-date on major 2013 NFPA 1500 changes, including:

    • A new requirement for the use of the word "MAYDAY" when a fire fighter is in an emergency situation and requires assistance. This commonly used and accepted term will reduce confusion within the fire service and other public safety agencies that might be sharing a common radio frequency.
    • In recognition of the fact that critical incident stress is only one aspect of the health and wellness continuum for fire fighters, the title of Chapter 12 was changed from Critical Incident Stress Program to Occupational Exposure to Atypically Stressful Events. This change lends itself to a broader spectrum of care that fire departments shall provide to their member when dealing with stressful events.

    Give your department members the best protection possible.

    When fire fighters are on the job, lives are on the line. Order your copy of the 2013 NFPA 1500 today and put the latest occupational safety and health requirements to work for you. (Softbound, 84 pp., 2013)

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