Submitted by:
Jason Adams

MFRI and the University of Maryland Department of Fire Protection Engineering were recently awarded a FEMA research grant focused on fireground contaminant exposure control. As part of this study, MFRI/UMD is requesting departments, with and without contaminant exposure control policies, complete a quick survey. The survey can be accessed at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ContamControl If a department has a policy for post-fire atmospheric air monitoring and respiratory protection (i.e., practices for when SCBA use can be discontinued), PPE decontamination, or personal hygiene (wipes, showering, etc), they are requested to upload these policies to the survey portal.

A regional workshop will be hosted on May 23-24th at MFRI to present the findings of this study. Regional health and safety representatives will be invited to the workshop and asked to discuss their successes and challenges with the development, implementation, and management of their contaminant exposure control programs. These discussions will be used to formulate a list of action items to address challenges and improve H&S contaminant exposure control programs and resources. For more information on the study, you can visit https://www.mfri.org/news-and-events/fireground/ or email Jamie McAllister at jmcal@umd.edu.

Thank you,

Shawn M Downs
Battalion Fire Chief
Safety Battalion
2531 Sherman Ave N.W.
Washington, DC 20001
Office: 202-673-6432
Cell: 202-807-9061