NFPA 1989

This standard addresses requirements for a safe supply of breathing air for fire and emergency services personnel during all confined space operations, hazardous materials incidents, CBRN terrorism incidents, and similar operations where the possibility exists that respiratory hazard can or does occur to protect the personnel in these operations.

Benefits of NFPA 1989

NFPA 1989, “Standard on Breathing Air Quality for Emergency Services Respiratory Protection,” specifies critical requirements so that the air provided to emergency workers is safe and of standards acceptable to health. Some of the key benefits derived from compliance with NFPA 1989 are:

Health and Safety: Guarantees that the air that firefighters and other emergency workers breathe is free of pollutants, safeguarding their respiratory systems.

Standardization facilitates departmental compliance with laws by offering a uniform framework for assessing and preserving breathing air quality.

Improved Training: Encourages greater instruction and understanding of the value of air quality, which results in better air supply management procedures.

Risk reduction lowers the possibility of being exposed to dangerous materials during emergency operations, which lowers the chance of health problems associated with poor air quality.

Equipment Longevity: This would ensure air quality criteria and maintain integrity in respiratory protection equipment as well as enhance its equipment longevity.

Regulatory Compliance: Helps enterprises comply with federal, state, and local laws pertaining to emergency services safety and air quality.

Enhanced Reaction Capability: This guarantees that responders can function safely and effectively in dangerous situations, improving response capabilities all around.

Public Confidence: Shows a dedication to safety, which can increase the general public’s confidence in emergency services.

Details of the Book

Book Title: Standard on Breathing Air Quality for Emergency Services Respiratory Protection

Publisher: National Fire Protection Association

Revised Edition: 2019

Language: English

SKU: 198919 PDF

ISBN-10 : 1455920428

ISBN-13 : 978-1455920426

FAQs

Q1. What Takes Place When There Is Not Enough Oxygen?

A1. According to the NFPA, a person senses normal outdoor air when oxygen levels are at 21%. A person starts to exhibit poor judgment and coordination at 17%. At 12%, headache, lightheadedness, nausea, and exhaustion may occur.

It is possible to get unconscious at 9%. Respiratory arrest, cardiac arrest, or death are possible at 6%.

Q2. What is an atmosphere-supplying respirator?

A2. “A respirator that supplies the respirator user with breathing air from a source independent of the ambient atmosphere” is what the NFPA defines as an atmosphere-supplying respirator.

This covers supplied air respirators (SAR) and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).

Q3.Why should you care about the 1989 NFPA on breathing air quality?

A3. None of that air that humans breathe consists of oxygen. In fact, when we breathe deep or deeply, more of the air that we inhale is nitrogen. Actually, nitrogen constitutes 78% of the atmosphere, with oxygen at 21%. Not that oxygen isn’t significant, though.

A human can safely breathe with an oxygen concentration as low as 19.5%. However, rescue service workers from companies sometimes have to enter areas with less than the minimum required oxygen level, as conditions are dangerous. In such situations, responders may use respirators that provide atmosphere.

Q4. What is the emergency service’s respiratory protection standard for breathing air quality?

A4. Guidelines for breathing air quality are provided by NFPA 1989-2019 to emergency services organizations whose personnel wear atmosphere-supplying respirators for respiratory protection. Emergency service groups can obtain information from the guidelines.

It can be applied to their respiratory protection program’s breathing air quality component. The standard refers to NFPA 1500’s recommendations for the breathing air quality portion of the respiratory protection program for fire departments.

It is significant to remember that the standard does not include recommendations for oxygen of the medical grade.

Q5. How did the self-contained breathing apparatus come to be?

A5. The self-contained breathing device was made possible by a number of inventions. An equipment known as the apparatus Aldini, for instance, was tested in 1825. This apparatus was basically two masks layered on top of each other, one composed of asbestos and the other of iron.

The mask only allowed the wearer to receive the tiny amount of breathing air that was unable to exit the mask, even though it offered some degree of heat protection.

The first effective American SCBA was not produced until 1918. The Gibbs was the name of it. Numerous advancements and additional innovators were made in this field. Scott Aviation came up with the first Air-Pak design in 1945. Two firemen coming inside a structure.