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Vest Rule Modified in the 11th Hour - Victory for Common Sense
Friday, November 21, 2008

Firefighters in "Hot Zone" shown without vests. When overhaul begins vests are required. All others are wearing vests. This photo part of a Power Point entitled Vests down loadable from this site
Firefighters in "Hot Zone" shown without vests. When overhaul begins vests are required. All others are wearing vests. This photo part of a Power Point entitled Vests down loadable from this site
Fed's Carve Out Exception for Firefighters Only Days Before Vest Rule Takes Effect on November 24, 2008. Fire Service Groups Raised Concerns About Suppression Personnel  Wearing Vests during actual exposure to flames or other hazardous conditions.

Respondersafety.com has published a sample S.O.P on this site that includes the following language: "Members directly involved in source of heat, chemical, or technical rescue activities as listed above who complete their activities within the designated Hot Zone are required to don ANSI-compliant vests once their activities within the Hot Zone are completed or they leave the immediate “hot Zone’ area of the incident scene". We strongly recommend this policy to ensure compliance with the revised rule.

The Federal Highway Official Release:
On November 21, 2008, the FHWA issued an  interim  final rule revising the Worker Visibility rule (23CFR 634) to create an exemption for the firefighting community.  This interim Final rule allows ffirefighters or other emergency responders working within the right-of-way of a Federal-aid highway and engaged in emergency operations that directly expose them to flame, fire, heat, and/or hazardous materials to wear retroreflective turn-out gear that is specified and regulated by other organizations, such as the National Fire Protection Association.  Firefighters or other emergency responders working within the right-of-way of a Federal-aid highway and engaged in any other types of operations shall wear high-visibility safety apparel  as defined in this rule.   The FHWA decided to issue this interim final rule to address safety concerns raised by fire fighting community.   The interim final rule was published in the Federal Register today and goes in effect on November 24, 2008.  This rule can be accessed  at the following link: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-27671.pdf 

Please share this information with others that may be interested in this matter.If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or Ken Wood at 708-283 -4340 or Ken.Wood@dot.govHari Kalla, P.E.
MUTCD Team Leader 
FHWA, Office of Operations (HOTO-1)
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, E84-316
Washington, DC 20590
Tel.: (202) 366-5915
Fax: (202) 366-3225 
Web: http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/

Photo Credit: Training Chief Ron Moore Chief Instructor Emergency Responders Safety Institute. Photo is from a Power Point Program available on this web site




Useful links
  1. Federal Rule
  2. Training Downloads Vest.ppt or use Vest.pdf if your system will not support Power Point
Model Vest SOP.doc
Model Vest SOP in MS Word. Customize for your department
Upload Date: 11/21/2008		 34.00 KB
Microsoft Word Document
Categories:  High Visibility Vests  |  SOP's/SOG's for Your Department or Agency
 






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