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The National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA) and the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
National Personal Protective Technology
Laboratory (NPPTL) have entered into
a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
that focuses on emergency responder
safety and protective clothing and equipment.
NFPA President James M. Shannon and
NIOSH Director John Howard, MD, this
afternoon signed an MOU that includes
all protective clothing and equipment
used to respond to all emergency incidents,
including fire, law enforcement, technical
rescue, hazardous materials, emergency
medical, special operations, and terrorism
incidents involving chemical, biological,
radiological, nuclear, and explosive
(CBRN) hazards, as well as the development
of standards for emergency responder
organizations and personnel concerning
the safety, deployment, operations,
and protection of emergency responders.
In 2001, NIOSH was charged by Congress
to create a new protective technology
program and the NPPTL was established.
The laboratory provides world leadership
for the prevention and reduction of
occupational disease, injury, and death
of workers relying on personal protective
technologies. The terrorist attacks
of September 11, 2001, and later threats
to the United States have made the testing,
evaluation, and certification of emergency
responder CBRN personal protective equipment
a national priority.
NPPTL's emphasis has been on the development
of new performance criteria, testing
methods, and certification standards
for respiratory protective equipment
and for protective ensembles for response
to terrorism incidents involving CBRN.
NPPTL also has an active role in the
NFPA standards development process for
emergency responder protective clothing
and equipment that provide protection
from physical, chemical, biological,
thermal, inhalation, and dermal hazards
encountered during emergency medical,
law enforcement, hazardous materials,
technical rescue, firefighting, and
special operations during terrorism
incidents.
Together, NIOSH and NFPA will strive
to provide the research and technology
so that NIOSH regulations and NFPA standards
can give leadership for protective clothing
and equipment to aid the protection
of emergency responders.
As part of the partnership, NIOSH-NPPTL
will;
" Form an alliance with NFPA.
" Collaborate with NFPA on technical
information and performance standards
concerning performance, testing, validation,
use, care, and maintenance of emergency
responder personal protective equipment.
" Collaborate with NFPA on emergency
responder and emergency responder organization
issues concerning safety, deployment,
and operations.
" Use the NFPA standards development
system and process, when appropriate,
for any standards for emergency responders
or emergency responder organizations
that would supplement NIOSH regulations.
" Use NFPA standards for personal
protective equipment (PPE) evaluations
conducted by the NPPTL to determine
compliance with NFPA standards.
As part of the partnership, NFPA will;
" Form an alliance with NIOSH.
" Formally recognize NIOSH-NPPTL
as the primary federal agency for emergency
responder and emergency responder organization
personal protection technology (PPT)
issues.
" Recognize and use NIOSH regulations
for emergency responder PPT as an integral
baseline for NFPA codes and standards.
" Provide technical expertise and
guidance to NPPTL on its long-term technology
development programs related to emergency
responder organizations and the emergency
responders.
NFPA has been a worldwide leader in
providing fire, electrical, building,
and life safety to the public since
1896. The mission of the international
nonprofit organization is to reduce
the worldwide burden of fire and other
hazards on the quality of life by providing
and advocating consensus codes
and standards, research, training and
education.
For more information on this project
and other NFPA iniitiaives lpease visit
NFPA's Web site at www.nfpa.org and
or Contact: Lisa Braxton in the NFPA
Public Affairs Office at 1-617-984-7275
or at lbraxton@nfpa.org
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