(1) Firefighters who perform emergency
medical care or otherwise may be exposed to blood or other body fluids must be
provided with emergency medical face protection devices, and emergency medical
garments that meet the applicable requirements of the 1999 edition of NFPA
1999, Standard on Protective Clothing for Emergency Medical Operations.
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Note:
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Prior to purchase, fire departments should request
the technical data package required in the 2003 edition of NAPA 1999, in order
to compare glove and garment performance data. Departments reviewing these
packages should ensure a relative ranking of the performance data before they
purchase in order to provide the best performance of the EMS personal
protective clothing.
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(2)
Firefighters must don emergency medical gloves and eye protection prior to
initiating any emergency patient care.
(3) Firefighters must don emergency medical
garments prior to any patient care during which splashes of body fluids can
occur such as situations involving spurting blood or childbirth.
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Note:
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Firefighter turnout gear and gloves with vapor
barriers may be used in lieu of emergency medical gloves and garments.
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(4)
Contaminated emergency medical garments, emergency medical face and eye
protection, gloves, devices, and emergency medical gloves must be cleaned and
disinfected, or disposed of, in accordance with chapter
296-823 WAC,
Occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens.
(5) Fire departments must establish a
designated infection (exposure) control officer who must ensure that an
adequate infection control plan is developed and all personnel are trained and
supervised on the plan.
(6) The
infection control officer must be responsible for establishing personnel
exposure protocols so that a process for dealing with exposures is in writing
and available to all personnel.
(7)
The infection control officer or their designee will function as a liaison
between area hospitals and fire department members to provide notification that
a communicable disease exposure is suspected or has been determined by hospital
medical personnel. The department infection control officer will institute the
established exposure protocols immediately after report of an exposure. The
infection control officer must follow the confidentiality requirements of
chapter
246-100 WAC and the medical protocol requirements of chapter
296-802
WAC.
(8) Fire departments must have
a written infection control plan which clearly explains the intent, benefits,
and purpose of the plan. The written document must cover the standards of
exposure control such as establishing the infection control officer and all
members affected; education and training; documentation and record keeping;
cleaning/disinfection of personnel and equipment; and exposure
protocols.
(9) Policy statements
and standard operating procedure guidelines must provide general guidance and
specific regulation of daily activities. Procedures must include delegation of
specific roles and responsibilities, such as regulation of infection control,
as well as procedural guidelines for all required tasks and
functions.
(10) Fire departments
must establish a records system for members health and training.
(11) Firefighters must be trained in the
proper use of P.E., exposure protection, post exposure protocols, disease modes
of transmission as it related to infectious diseases.
(12) Infectious disease programs must have a
process for monitoring firefighters compliance with established guidelines and
a means for correcting noncompliance.
(13) Fire department members must be required
to annually review the infectious disease plan, updates, protocols, and
equipment used in the program.
(14)
Fire departments must comply with chapter
296-823 WAC, Occupational exposure to
bloodborne pathogens, in its entirety.
(15) Tuberculosis (TB) exposure and
respiratory protection requirements.
(a)
Firefighters must wear a particulate respirator (PR) when entering areas
occupied by individuals with suspected or confirmed TB, when performing high
risk procedures on such individuals or when transporting individuals with
suspected or confirmed TB in a closed vehicle.
(b) A NIOSH-approved, 95% efficient
particulate air respirator is the minimum acceptable level of respiratory
protection.
(i) Fit tests are
required.
(ii) Fit tests must be
done in accordance with chapter
296-842 WAC.
(c) Employee tuberculosis screening must be
provided in accordance with current U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention guidelines.
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Note:
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If possible, the rear windows of a vehicle
transporting patients with confirmed, suspected, or active tuberculosis should
be kept open, and the heater or air conditioner set on a noncirculating
cycle.
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