RFI_Wildland_Fire_Respirators_Final_1.pdf

United States Department of the Interior

INTERIOR BUSINESS CENTER

Washington, DC 20240

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION, CAPABILITIES, & SOURCES SOUGHT

Issue Date: September 21, 2026 Response Due Date: October 23, 2026, by 5:00 pm Eastern Time Issued by: This Request for Information (RFI) is being issued by the Department of the Interior (DOI), US Wildland Fire Service (USWFS).

RFI Purpose: The Government is seeking information regarding commercially available air-purifying respirator (APR) systems suitable for use by wildland firefighters during wildfire suppression, prescribed fire operations, and associated field activities. The government is not aware of any respirator approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) which also meets the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1984 Standard on Respirators for Wildland Fire-Fighting Operations and Wildland Urban Interface Operations. This RFI will help identify existing products best suited for immediate use in the wildland fire environment and what progress, if any, respirator manufacturers are making in meeting the NFPA 1984 Standard for Class 2 respirators. The Government intends to align future requirements with the 2028 revisions for NFPA 1984, and assess suitability of new respirators that best meet the operational needs appropriate to wildland firefighting.

Disclaimers: This RFI is a market survey to identify companies with products meeting the requirements in the following sections. The RFI is for planning purposes only and is being used as a market research tool in accordance with Revolutionary Federal Acquisition (FAR) Overhaul (RFO) 10.001 – Market Research Requirements. This is NOT a solicitation.

Proposals or quotes will not be accepted for this document.

All interested vendors are invited to submit responses as described below. Interior Business Center (IBC) will create an interested parties list for this project. The Government is under no obligation to award a contract as a result of this announcement. No funds are available to pay for information received from potential sources. Only e-mail will be acceptable for responses. No feedback or evaluations will be provided regarding any responses.

Responses: Interested parties shall respond to all items in Sections 1 through 3 of the of this document.

• Section 1: Corporate Information

• Section 2: Technical Information

• Section 3: Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) Pricing

Please provide responses in MS Word or PDF. There is a 25-page limit.

E-mail: Send your responses to Jason Nuckols at Jason_Nuckols@ibc.doi.gov.

Responses submitted by a method other than electronic mail will not be accepted. Ensure that your e-mail response has “RFI for Wildland Fire Respiratory Protection”.

mailto:Jason_Nuckols@ibc.doi.gov

Wildland Fire Respiratory Protection RFI Supporting Document

Purpose:

The Government seeks information regarding reusable air-purifying respirators capable of protecting wildland firefighters from airborne contaminants encountered during wildfire and prescribed fire operations. The government intends to prioritize respirators meeting the NFPA 1984 Standard; however, the Government is not aware of any existing commercial option that meets both NIOSH-approval and the NFPA 1984 Standard for Class 2 or Class 3 respirators.

Respirators meeting the NFPA 1984 Standard are desirable due to the additional performance requirements (e.g. heat resistant, durable, quick to don and doff, audible communications while wearing, etc.). The NFPA 1984 Standard 2028 Edition is undergoing revisions at the time of this RFI. All proposed changes are available on NFPA’s website.

The Government is interested in commercially available half-facepiece air-purifying respirators (APR) that are practical for extended field operations and can be supported through routine maintenance and cartridge replacement. The Government is interested in respirators that are NIOSH-approved and for which the manufacturer intends to submit for testing to the 2028 NFPA 1984 Standard for Class 2 respirators as early as possible.

Responses will be used for informational purposes only.

Background:

Wildland firefighters routinely perform prolonged, strenuous work in environments containing elevated and highly variable concentrations of wildfire smoke. Respirator use may be indicated for short duration, peak exposure conditions that do not reach Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH) concentrations when other exposure controls cannot be feasibly practiced. Smoke exposures may include respirable particulate matter, aldehydes (including formaldehyde), volatile organic compounds, gaseous oxides of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur, and other combustion by-products.

Wildland fire operations involve extended outdoor work in remote environments with limited logistical support. Respirators must function while exposed to:

• High ambient temperatures

• Heavy physical exertion

• Dust and ash

• Heavy smoke

• Sweat and moisture

• Long operational periods

• Transportation in line gear through rugged terrain

The Government seeks respirators that provide meaningful protection while minimizing impacts on firefighter mobility, endurance, communication, and situational awareness.

Proposed APR systems are being considered only for non-IDLH, non-oxygen-deficient atmospheres and are not intended for interior structural firefighting, rescue, confined-space entry, or other atmospheres requiring an atmosphere-supplying respirator.

Respondents shall identify any atmospheric conditions or contaminants for which the proposed system is not approved or shall not be used.

Minimum Desired Characteristics:

Section 2 outlines what characteristics a response shall cover. At a minimum, proposed respirators shall:

• Be a reusable, half-facepiece air-purifying respirator (APR) – minimum OSHA Assigned Protection Factor (APF) of 10

• Be NIOSH-approved, provide certification number, for the hazards they are intended to protect against

• Meet the NFPA 1984 standard or adequately address the intent of the performance requirements if not in full compliance

• Use replaceable cartridges or other air-purifying elements

• Protect against smoke particulates, organic vapors, and formaldehyde o See next section for estimates to inform responses

• Be portable and suitable for extended field operations

• Be durable for wildland firefighting environments

• Reusable components are capable of repeated cleaning cycles

• Have components that can be readily maintained or replaced in the field

• Be compatible with available quantitative fit testing equipment

Target Concentrations:

Wildland firefighter exposures are highly variable, making target concentrations difficult to determine. Table 1 lists the best available conservative contaminant estimates to inform this RFI, based on previous personal air sampling and published literature, including both a time-weighted average (TWA) concentration range and expected peak concentrations.

Ongoing exposure assessment work will inform and refine these estimates. See Section 2 below for information requested to address these contaminants via respiratory protection.

TWA Exposure Limits are also listed; these are regulatory or consensus standards, not recommended operational thresholds. The exception is the TWA for Respirable [smoke] Particulates, which was recommended by National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG).

Air-purifying element design and selections shall target the peak concentrations shown in the table.

We are aware that the NFPA 1984 Standard, under revision, lists some of these target contaminants as “required” and some as “optional” for a Class 2 Respirator. For optional elements, we are interested in respirators with both options: with and without protection against the contaminant. The manufacturer may explain in their response how cartridge configuration allows differing levels of protection.

Note on organic vapors: the table provides estimates for several notable chemicals identified in previous research on wildland firefighter exposure; this is not an exhaustive list. Most chemicals are listed in parts per billion (ppb); particulate matter, naphthalene, and PAHs are listed in milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3).

TABLE 1. TARGET CONTAMINANTS WITH CONCENTRATION ESTIMATES:

Contaminant 8-hr TWA Exposure Range

Peak Concentrations

8-hr TWA Exposure Limit (unless noted)

Smoke particulates (measured as respirable PM)

0.5-2.0 mg/m3 10 mg/m3 1.0 mg/m3 (NWCG)

Respirable Crystalline Silica

0.01-0.03 mg/m3 0.4 mg/m3 0.05 mg/m3

Particles not Otherwise Specified (Measured as

0.5 - 5.0 mg/m3 50 mg/m3 3.0 mg/m3

Respirable Particulate Matter) Benzene 10-20 ppb 500 ppb 1,000 ppb Toluene 30-40 ppb 900 ppb 20,000 ppb Ethylbenzene 70-80 ppb 2,200 ppb 20,000 ppb Xylene 300-400 ppb 9,000 ppb 20,000 ppb Naphthalene 7-8 mg/m3 76 mg/m3 52 mg/m3 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)

0.001-0.010 mg/m3 0.050 mg/m3 N/A

Formaldehyde 10-100 ppb 1000 ppb 750 ppb Acetaldehyde 10-30 ppb 100 ppb 25,000 ppb (TLV-

Ceiling) Acrolein 1-3 ppb 50 ppb 50 ppb (TLV-Ceiling) NO (for info only) 100-2,000 ppb 25,000 ppb 25,000 ppb NO2 (for info only) 100-1,000 ppb 2,000 ppb 200 ppb SO2 100-1,500 ppb 2,000 ppb 250 ppb (TLV-STEL) CO (for info only) 5,000-20,000 ppb 700,000 ppb 25,000 ppb

NOTE: NO, NO2 and CO are included for information only, as we acknowledge there are no NIOSH-approved APR options currently available for these contaminants

Section 1 – Corporate Information

Please provide the following information.

Requested Information Vendor Response

Company name UEI number or CAGE code GSA Schedule Number (if available) Address Website Primary point of contact Email Telephone Country of manufacture

Business size classification Existing Federal contracts (if applicable) Previous experience with wildland fire

Section 2 – Technical Information

1. Product Description

Begin the response with a company capabilities statement that address the respondent’s capability as it relates to the requirements of this Section.

In the response, describe the proposed respirator, including:

• Respirator type and model number

• Facepiece configuration

• Materials

• Available sizes

• Fully assembled operational weight, including the required cartridges

• Packed dimensions of one respirator, including the cartridge configuration needed for use (i.e. required pack space)

• Intended occupational applications

Describe the cartridges to meet the protection requirements, including:

• Cartridge type and model number

• NIOSH approval number(s) and approved cartridge/filter configuration(s)

• Shelf life

• Product dimensions

• Cartridge compatibility with other facepiece models (e.g. full face)

• Availability of cartridge fit test adapters for quantitative fit testing

• Include all questions and/or assumptions

2. Respiratory Protection Performance

Provide specifications/evidence that verify the respirator meets the minimum criteria above. Include:

• NIOSH approval information

• NFPA 1984 Standard compliance – if no current products meet this standard, please indicate if/how the existing product approaches this standard.

• Assigned Protection Factor (APF), where applicable

• Any known limitations applicable to this environment

• Instructional guidance for use

• Testing data/research (if shareable) for evidence of any declared protections outside of standard testing done to meet NIOSH or NFPA requirements

• Any expected improvements to design or function

Provide your recommended cartridge replacement schedule. If a fixed replacement schedule cannot be recommended, describe:

• The methodology used to establish cartridge replacement intervals

• End-of-service-life indicators

• Recommended field replacement procedures

• Any available breakthrough testing

• Supporting technical data

3. Operational Suitability

Describe how the respirator performs during the following conditions:

• High temperatures o Include operating temperature range and storage temperature range

• Suitability for wear during heavy physical work

• Extended wear (i.e., long work shifts)

• Heavy sweat, moisture, or humidity

• High dust/ash levels

Describe compatibility and any known issues with commonly used wildland firefighter equipment, such as:

• Fire helmets

• Eye protection and corrective prescription eyewear

• Hearing protection

• Flame-Resistant (e.g. Nomex) hoods, shrouds, or face coverings

• Communication systems and radio use

• Line pack and web gear

Identify any known limitations associated with the proposed respirator, including:

• Situations where protection may be reduced

• User populations for whom the respirator is not recommended

• Operational tasks that may be incompatible with the respirator

• Any warnings, cautions, or restrictions included in the manufacturer's instructions, especially if applicable to this environment

4. Maintenance

Describe:

• Cleaning procedures including recommended cleaning agents and any common cleaning agents or methods that are known to be problematic with the respirator o Consider that wildland firefighters will often need to clean the respirator while out in smoky, dirty fire line conditions with limited water supplies.

• Inspection procedures

• Storage requirements for respirator and cartridges

• Expected service life of the facepiece under normal use.

• Recommended replacement interval for components o Include which components are most likely to require replacement

• Common replacement parts

• Preventive maintenance requirements

5. User Acceptance and Fit

Describe any available information regarding:

• Comfort, including during prolonged physical work

• Heat buildup

• Breathing resistance, including inhalation and exhalation breathing resistance data, if available

• Communication

• Visibility limitations to the wearer’s field of view and peripheral vision

• Ease of donning and doffing

• Fit testing requirements and availability of required adapters, etc.

• User instructions

6. Wildfire Smoke Performance Data

The Government is particularly interested in respirator systems that have been evaluated under conditions representative of wildland firefighting. Please include, if available:

• Wildfire smoke studies, white papers, or reports

• Biomass combustion testing

• Prescribed fire evaluations

• Complex chemical mixtures containing combustion products

• Cartridge breakthrough testing

• User acceptance studies

• Operational performance data

Please list whether the work was conducted by your organization, independent laboratory, government agency, or academic institution. Reports may be included as appendices.

7. Logistics and Field Support

Describe your ability to support operational deployment, including:

• Manufacturing capacity o Average production capacity per month o Maximum surge production capacity o Manufacturing locations o Supply chain considerations (e.g., Critical single-source component)

• Typical production lead times

• Cartridge availability during fire season

• Packaging options

• Technical support, including on-site or virtual technical representatives

• Training support

• Experience supporting federal pilot projects

Section 3 – Rough Order of Magnitude Pricing

Provide pricing in U.S. dollars and identify the pricing basis, including whether prices reflect list price, GSA Schedule price, estimated Government quantity discount, distributor pricing, or another basis. Identify the date or period for which pricing is valid.

A. Initial Purchase

For the following items, please provide an estimated cost per unit and an estimate unit price at quantities of 100 and 1,000 units:

• Respirator

• Cartridges or pairs of cartridges

• Cartridge replacements

• Individual replacement parts, such as:

o Head harnesses o Inhalation valves o Exhalation valves o Facepiece assemblies o Gaskets and seals

B. Annual Operating Costs

Assuming one firefighter uses the respirator during a typical fire season, estimate the annual recurring costs for:

• Replacement cartridges

• Replacement parts

• Cleaning supplies

• Routine or specialized maintenance

• Storage or transportation accessories

• Software or electronic applications, if applicable

Identify how this annual cost changes for purchasing respirators at scale, using examples of 100 and 1,000 respirators in service.