Health Alert Bulletin
April 1994
Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) may contain meltable fabric (for example, nylon). In the fire service, the use of SCBA with meltable fabric can present an extremely dangerous situation for firefighters. If a firefighter is caught in a high heat incident, the fabric can fail, resulting in the SCBA falling off the back of the wearer. The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS), Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health (PEOSH) Program, encourages fire departments to examine all SCBA and replace meltable fabric with non-meltable fabric. The manufacturer of the SCBA should be contacted to obtain a suitable replacement.
The National Fire Protection Association Standard, Open Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus for Firefighters (NFPA 1981-87) specifies fabric component tests. These "flame, heat, and thread tests are added to provide a reasonable level of assurance that the fabric components of a harness assembly used to hold the backplate to the wearer's body, will remain intact during fire fighting operations." The PEOSH Standards for Firefighters (N.J.A.C. 12:100-10.10(d)) requires all SCBA purchased after January 4, 1993 to be at least equivalent to NFPA 1981-87.
If you have any further questions, please contact the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, PEOSH Program, at (609) 984-1863.
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Last Updated: December 1, 1997