DRAFT-_SOO_1-Wildland_Fire_Respiratory_Protection.pdf

Wildland Fire Respiratory Protection Statement of Objectives

February 13, 2017 Science and Technology Directorate Department of Homeland Security

DISTRIBUTION NOTICE: Further dissemination only as directed by DHS Office of Policy DESTRUCTION NOTICE: Destroy by any method that will prevent disclosure of contents or reconstruction of the document.

Wildland Fire Respiratory Protection Statement of Objectives February 13, 2017

Table of Contents

1.0 Problem Statement

2.0 Purpose and Scope

3.0 Background Environment

3.1 Mission Scenarios

3.2 Current Technology Shortfalls and Threats

4.0 Potential Solution Attributes

4.1 Concept of Operations (CONOPS)

4.2 Additional Capabilities

5.0 Solution Capabilities and Requirements

5.1 Must Have Requirements (Key Performance Parameters, KPP’s)

5.2 Desirable Capabilities or Characteristics

6.0 System Support

6.1 Period and Place of Performance

6.2 Contract Deliverables

6.3 Transition Requirements

6.4 Regulatory/Legal Requirements

6.5 System Affordability

6.6 Training

6.7 Other Considerations

6.8 Storage and Maintenance

1.0 Problem Statement

DHS’s Project Responder 4 (PR4) identifies “protective clothing and equipment for all responders that protects against multiple hazards” as a capability statement in the Responder Health, Safety, and Performance domain.1 During the 2016 First Responder Resource Group (FRRG) Meeting, responders identified wildland fires as an emerging topic in the responder health and safety area, and specifically identified a capability gap for respiratory protection for wildland firefighters that is conducive to the high temperatures, heavy exertion, and long hours of duty present in a wildland fire response.

2.0 Purpose and Scope

The proposed solution would provide respiratory protection for wildland firefighters responding to wildland fires, firefighters responding in the wildland-urban interface, or to other first responders working in a wildland fire environment such as traffic control officers assisting with an evacuation.

The solution must be able to protect firefighters from carcinogens, carbon monoxide, particulates, and other respiratory hazards. The solution will be a new piece of equipment to be worn by responders since adequate comfortable, extended-wear respiratory protection does not currently exist. As such, it needs to be lightweight and low-profile so it does not negatively impact the amount of gear a wildland firefighter can carry, the firefighters’ range of motion, or their ability to communicate. The device will not prevent wildland firefighters or other responders from safely performing their duties.

The solution will also need to be durable and able to withstand conditions present in a wildland fire, including high temperatures, without compromising integrity or performance. The solution should have a low breathing resistance so that the responders can use it for extended periods as wildland firefighters may be deployed fighting a fire for 12 hours or more at a time for up to 14 consecutive days.

3.0 Background Environment

Firefighters face harsh environmental conditions when fighting wildland fires. Unlike in structural fires, wildland firefighters do not wear self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) due to the length of time they are deployed on the fire line, the weight of the equipment, and the requirement to refill current SCBA tanks approximately every 45 minutes. Wildland firefighters may be deployed for 12 hours or more at a time, and carrying enough air to breathe through an SCBA for that duration is impossible, given the weight and amount of air canisters that would be needed. Wildland firefighters currently use various devices to attempt to protect their respiratory system from the toxic gases and carcinogens present in the smoke. Some firefighters choose to don welder’s masks, N-95 masks, or simple cotton bandanas to provide some level of protection. The solution will need to be compliant with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1984: Standard on Respirators for Wildland Fire Fighting Operations as any protection that is not NFPA 1984 compliant is not recommended for use by the United States Forest Service (USFS). In the hot conditions and while taking part in strenuous work, many wildland firefighters may doff their minimal respiratory protection, either temporarily or permanently, in order to be able to breathe more comfortably. If

1 Project Responder 4, 2014 National Technology Plan for Emergency Response to Catastrophic Incidents. U.S.

Department of Homeland Security, July 2014, p. 89.

firefighters choose to remove uncomfortable respiratory protection, they are left entirely unprotected from harmful particulates and gases, many of which are odorless, in the environment.

Wildland firefighters must carry all of their equipment and supplies with them when they enter a wildland fire area and are therefore limited in the amount and size of equipment they can carry.

Heavy, bulky, or cumbersome masks and respirators are not suited to this type of work. Responders may choose not to wear available personal protective equipment (PPE) if it is bulky or cumbersome and the perceived risk is low – both because the perceived benefit is small and because there may be social norms associated with rejecting unnecessary gear. While wildland fire environments can be quite hazardous, there also can be times during deployment when the environment does not present any respiratory hazards. If the wind is blowing in a favorable direction, the firefighters may not need any respiratory protection for periods of time.

3.1 Mission Scenarios

The solution would be used in a wildland fire environment, primarily by wildland firefighters, but also by law enforcement, park rangers, emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, or other responders. Wildland firefighters may be deployed in a fire environment for much longer than firefighters are typically deployed in a structural fire environment. Wildland firefighters may be deployed for 12-hour shifts before returning to a base and may be deployed for as many as 14 consecutive days of duty in a row. Conditions may vary during this time. There may be hours with little to no respiratory hazard, but the responders may also be exposed to respiratory hazards while at a base camp. This solution would provide respiratory protection over many hours, greatly reducing the exposure to carcinogenic materials encountered by the responders. The solution would protect against exposure to carcinogenic particulates with HEPA-level protection or better. The solution must provide protection against carbon monoxide and other respiratory hazards. A description of the respiratory hazards present in the wildland fire environment can be found in the USFS study, Wildland Firefighter Smoke Exposure.2

While on the wildland fire line, firefighters are engaged in strenuous activity including hiking, carrying equipment, and engaging in firefighting, which means respiration protection must have a low breathing resistance. Otherwise, firefighters may need to remove the protective solution in order to breathe enough air. Breathing through a restrictive device for hours is exhausting since each breath requires more physical exertion than breathing without a device over one’s mouth and nose. As such, prolonged exertional breathing with adequate oxygen exchange is impossible to maintain while carrying out strenuous firefighting work.

3.2 Current Technology Shortfalls and Threats

Currently, firefighters may be exposed to high levels of carcinogenic particulates and gases when in a wildland fire environment which contribute to short-term and long-term health issues. Short-term issues include, but are not limited to, fatigue, heat stress, and respiratory stress. Excessive exposure to carbon monoxide, a key component of smoke, can lead to reduced situational awareness and can negatively impact decision making ability. Long-term issues include, but are not limited to, reduced respiratory function, increased cancer rates, and abbreviated lifespan. In addition to the increased

2 Wildland Firefighter Smoke Exposure. U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. October 2013.

http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/pdfpubs/pdf13511803/pdf13511803dpi100.pdf.

http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/pdfpubs/pdf13511803/pdf13511803dpi100.pdf morbidity and mortality rates, the negative health impacts can contribute to low retention rates or high turnover within the workforce, and associated loss of skills, loss of personnel and training investments made by fire departments.

Without an adequate solution that provides respiratory protection for an extended number of hours without compromising a firefighter’s ability to breathe and engage in exerting work, many firefighters use a mix of solutions which are not recommended by the USFS and which are not NFPA 1984 certified to provide limited respiratory protection. This includes hot shields/welder’s masks and cotton bandanas worn to mitigate the amount of particulates entering the airway.

Welder’s masks/hot shields have been described by responders as cumbersome and ineffective, and may often be doffed before a shift is over since they can restrict air flow or are too hot to wear in wildland fire environments. Cotton bandanas offer little protection, and are not fitted to a wearer’s nose and mouth, providing inadequate protection against particulates in the air, and no protection against carcinogenic chemical vapors. Many firefighters may wear no respiratory protection whatsoever, or may doff the protection they begin their shift with when temperatures or exertion levels increase to a point where wearing the protection becomes too uncomfortable. Existing National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) approved N-95 masks provide protection similar to HEPA filtration standards,3 but they reduce airflow so significantly that they are difficult to wear for more than a few minutes in high heat or high exertion environments, let alone for hours on a wildland fire line.

4.0 Potential Solution Attributes

The solution will provide respiratory protection through a combination of appropriate filtration media that can provide HEPA-level protection (able to filter 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 μm or smaller out of the air)4 against particulates. It would be a mask that covers the mouth and nose of the responder, and that fits snugly to provide complete protection for the airway. Its performance or fit would not be compromised by high temperatures or moisture (perspiration, precipitation, etc.). If needed, the entire mask or the filtration media could be disposable and a new mask or new insert/filter could be added to provide extended protection through a multiple-hour deployment.

4.1 Concept of Operations (CONOPS)

It is anticipated that the solution will be a mask that provides respiratory protection to wildland firefighters and others responding in wildland fire environments; however, other solutions that meet the goals stated in this document are acceptable. The device should be easy to wear and have a low breathing resistance. A one size fits all, or small range of sizes (e.g., small, medium, large) is desired. Firefighters would don the device as they don their other gear when activities require the use of a respirator, and would be able to wear the device (on its own or if necessary with insert/filtration replacements) throughout the entire shift, which, for wildland firefighters, may extend up to 12 or more hours and for as many as 14 consecutive days of duty in a row, if

3 “NIOSH-Approved Respirators,” National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, August 18, 2016, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/respsource1quest1.html.

4 Department of Energy Technical Standard 3020-2015, June 2015, http://energy.gov/ehss/downloads/doe-std-3020- 2015.

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/respsource1quest1.html http://energy.gov/ehss/downloads/doe-std-3020-2015 http://energy.gov/ehss/downloads/doe-std-3020-2015 environmental conditions necessitate respiratory protection for the whole time. When a shift ends or the firefighter is otherwise finished with the respiratory protection solution, it may be disposable.

4.2 Additional Capabilities

This solution would greatly increase respiratory protection for wildland firefighters and other responders in wildland fires. As previously discussed, little to no respiratory protection is available now to wildland firefighters and, as a result, they are exposed to carcinogenic particulates and gases presenting respiratory and overall health risks. Adequate protection would reduce morbidity and mortality of individual responders, and protecting their respiratory health could increase their effectiveness on the job. Protection of long-term respiratory health could reduce turnover and loss of skills for fire departments.

5.0 Solution Capabilities and Requirements

5.1 Must Have Requirements (Key Performance Parameters, KPP’s) The proposed solution must include:

• The ability to provide respiratory protection against carbon monoxide and other respiratory hazards for 12 or more hours, either as a single unit or a unit with replaceable parts;

• The ability to be reused for a period of 14 consecutive days as a single unit or a unit with replaceable parts;

• An end of service life indicator for any replaceable/disposable cartridges or filter parts;

• HEPA-level filtration (able to filter 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 microns (μm) or smaller out of the air) or better;

• Provide protection against carbon monoxide and other respiratory gaseous hazards;

• A comfortable to wear design with a breathing resistance of half that encountered with currently available N-95 masks as measured by rhinomanometry and pneumotachograph;

• A weight of no more than seven ounces;

• Be able to obtain NFPA 1984 Standard;

• An easy to don and doff design, with a form fit over the wearer’s nose and mouth, with one size fits all or limited sizing options (small, medium, large);

• Not interfere with the wildland firefighter’s ability to perform their normal tasks;

• Not interfere with the vison of the wildland firefighter;

• Be easy to carry in existing wildland firefighter packs; and

• Enable the user to use existing communication equipment and be clearly audible without doffing the protective device.

5.2 Desirable Capabilities or Characteristics

Desired characteristics include:

• Low cost (no more than $300 a mask, replaceable units or components should be no more than $5);

• A design that would also provide eye protection;

• Be able to be clipped onto a belt loop; and

• Collapsible package – easy to carry on person; low volume (less than 75 cubic in).

6.0 System Support

6.1 Period and Place of Performance

The length of time of the contract shall be between 12-18 months, and shall not exceed the latter.

All developmental activities will be performed at the contractor-designated site(s). DHS may require the contractor to perform preliminary and critical design reviews and/or product presentations at DHS-specified locations.

6.2 Contract Deliverables

It is expected that this project would be divided into three phases, with different deliverables required in each phase as described below. Each phase would be six months in length, resulting in a project lasting 18 months from kickoff to completion of prototypes. The deliverables for each phase are:

• Phase I: filtration media identified with necessary low breathing resistance;

• Phase II: filtration media integrated into an operable device; and

• Phase III: operable prototype device that meets NFPA 1984 requirements and other government requirements (e.g. NIOSH, OSHA, etc.) that may be needed in order to commercialize the solution.

DHS is committed to ensuring the success of their technology by requiring the project performer to provide DHS multiple prototype deliverables which will be used for post-contract testing and evaluation. A minimum of 50 prototype devices for evaluation by first responders shall be provided as a final project deliverable.

6.3 Transition Requirements

DHS is also committed to ensuring the use of their technology by the first responder community by documenting metrics regarding product sales and estimated production costs for the first three years after commercialization. Additionally, to promote first responder technology awareness DHS may participate in operational exercises, demonstrations, and conferences for the first three years after commercialization.

6.4 Regulatory/Legal Requirements

This solution must meet the requirements laid out in NFPA 1984 Standard. In addition, DHS is committed to providing information regarding the availability of their technology to the first responder community by requiring the project performer to submit applications to be added to the DHS Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Authorized Equipment List (AEL) and the InterAgency Board for Equipment Standardization and Interoperability (IAB) Standardized Equipment List (SEL) as a final deliverable.

6.5 System Affordability

First responders’ budgets are limited and should be taken into consideration when developing and determining a price per unit cost model. A target price for a disposable unit or the disposable component of the device is less than $5. If the solution is reusable, the cost would be dependent on how many times it can be reused, but should not exceed $300.

6.6 Training

Training information as required shall be provided on any specialized equipment, and shall include how to properly store, clean, deploy, and maintain the basic ensemble/unit. If a replaceable part is included in the device, proper procedures for replacing that part should be specified. Any specialty requirements of personnel conducting maintenance, storage, extraction, or delivery will be identified including certification requirements. Training material shall be available initially in hard-copy, and subsequently in soft-copy format.

Training information as required shall be provided on any specialized equipment, and shall include how to properly store, clean, deploy, and maintain the basic ensemble/unit. Any specialty requirements of personnel conducting maintenance, storage, extraction, or delivery will be identified including certification requirements. Training material shall be available initially in hard-copy, and subsequently in soft-copy format. Training for appropriate use should be minimal and incorporated into existing training for donning and doffing wildland fire protective gear.

6.7 Other Considerations

Human Interface Requirements: The target user includes wildland firefighters and any responders working in a wildland fire environment. The solution should be easy to don and doff and should not interfere with other equipment and personal protective equipment worn by first responders. A respiratory protection solution with a low breathing resistance that could be comfortably worn for multiple hours in a row could have many applications in the first responder community. First responders needing long-wear respiratory protection could include EMS personnel and hospital staff, disaster mortuary assistance teams, law enforcement, or responders operating in adverse environmental conditions other than wildland fires, such as a sandstorm.

Logistics and Readiness: The solution developed under this award is envisioned as a new component of standard gear worn by all wildland firefighters. It is envisioned that the solution will be cost effective so that wildland firefighters from a wide variety of jurisdictions will be able to afford this additional level of protection.

6.8 Storage and Maintenance

The contractor shall identify all necessary storage and maintenance requirements for the proposed solution including: the required maintenance schedule, if any cleaning or maintenance is needed for the solution either during use or in order to be reused multiple times, identification of the specific components of the ensemble that require maintenance, the type of maintenance required, and whether the maintenance can be performed in the field by operational personnel or if it will be required to be returned to the manufacturer for the required maintenance.

If the solution is reusable, specific instructions for cleaning or otherwise preparing the solution to be reused shall be included. Any cleaning recommendations should be viable and cost effective for first responders and first responder agencies, and should ideally be able to be performed “in house.”