Checklist
Checklist - Protective Clothing and Equipment
Document FSSMS-AUD-P02Stage 1Revision 4Version 0.3.3
Topic pages open on your jurisdiction, and requirements tables show its line. You can change this on any page.
This category audits the Protective Clothing and Equipment Program: selection and specification, issue and fit, routine and advanced inspection, routine, advanced and specialized cleaning, repair, storage, retirement, records, training, indicators and the program’s accountability loop, for every ensemble the department issues. Decontamination at the scene and in the station is audited in Checklist - Decontamination and Contamination Control; respirators and SCBA in the Respiratory Protection category.
The criteria come from the selection, care and maintenance standard for structural and proximity ensembles (NFPA 1850, 2026); the product standard (NFPA 1970, 2025); the protective clothing chapter of the responder health and safety standard (NFPA 1550, 2024, ch. 9); the care standards for rescue and wildland ensembles (NFPA 1857, 2026); the CSA standards for non-fire headwear, eye and face, footwear and high-visibility apparel (CSA Z94.1-15; CSA Z94.3:26; CSA Z195:14; CSA Z96:22); the applicable provincial or territorial occupational health and safety statute and regulations on provision, maintenance and inspection of PPE (J13 Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment; see Jurisdiction requirements); and the accreditation criteria on tools, equipment and PPE maintenance and tracking (CPSE, 2019, criteria 6E.1 to 6E.5).
0 not in place. 1 documented, not implemented. 2 implemented, not verified effective. 3 implemented and effective with evidence. The category score is the mean of the item scores; report it by category, never as one number for the program. Score what you see on the floor and in the records, not what the program says.
- Floor-to-record sample: pick 10 ensembles from racks at two stations, one of them volunteer. Find each serial number’s record. Then pick 10 records and find the garments.
- Last five working fires: for every exposed ensemble, find the after-exposure advanced cleaning entry within seven days.
- Interview three members, including a volunteer, and two company officers.
- Inspect the extractor room, the storage room and the loaner pool.
- Read the last two quarterly updates and the open items in the Corrective Action Register.
| # | Item | Stage | Evidence expected | Score (0-3) | Finding | Owner | Due |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A written program exists, approved, reviewed within 24 months, citing the current editions of the product and care standards (NFPA 1970, 2025; NFPA 1850, 2026) | S1 | Program note with approval and review dates; edition years current. Score 1 if the document cites superseded editions | ||||
| 2 | The ensemble inventory by hazard is complete for every module the department runs, dated and signed by the {{PPE Program Manager}} | S1 | Inventory table matching the Profile Worksheet modules; no live module without rows. Score 2 if the table exists but quantities are blank | ||||
| 3 | A {{PPE Program Manager}}, a {{PPE Coordinator}} and trained technicians or a {{Verified ISP}} are named and have time allocated | S1 | Team charter; coordinator position description or duty allocation; technician course certificates or ISP verification certificate on file (NFPA 1850, 2026, cl. 4.2.4) | ||||
| 4 | Every new or changed PPE item entered through the Equipment Standards team’s request form and has a written disposition | S1 | Request log; dispositions for the last three items | ||||
| 5 | A one-page specification on the department template exists for every structural ensemble element in service, stating performance after laundering and the restricted substances requirement | S1 | Specifications on file; tender file cites them (NFPA 1970, 2025) | ||||
| 6 | Field trials for items that changed how a task is done included every body type and a volunteer station | S2 | Trial plan and report; participant list by station and size range, no names | ||||
| 7 | Formal JOHSC consultation preceded adoption of every PPE change in the last three years, with the response and the decision filed | S1 | JOHSC minutes; consultation file; department’s written decision | ||||
| 8 | Procurement bought to the specification; no substitution on price without the team’s written sign-off | S1 | Tender award against the specification; supplier certification documents and restricted substances report on file. Score 0 if any element in service lacks a certification label | ||||
| 9 | Every member fitted in person for every element, over station wear with SCBA, with measurements recorded | S1 | Issue and return records sampled for 10 members: fit fields complete; fit check within 24 months | ||||
| 10 | Members outside the stock size range have tailored or custom gear, issued without delay or pressure | S1 | Custom order file; interview members; no member in gear more than one size off | ||||
| 11 | Issue records exist for every element in service with serial, date of manufacture, size and member acknowledgement | S1 | Floor-to-record sample: 10 of 10 found. Score 2 if 8 or 9; score 1 if fewer | ||||
| 12 | Two structural ensembles per suppression member, or a loaner pool sized so no member is without clean gear for more than 24 hours | S1 outcome; S2 two sets | Issue records showing set 2; or loaner register with sizes, quantity and turnaround times under 24 hours | ||||
| 13 | At least two hoods and two pairs of structural gloves issued per suppression member | S1 | Issue records; hood stock on apparatus | ||||
| 14 | Members do a routine inspection after every use and at the start of the duty period on the check card and know what to report | S1 | Cards at two stations for the last month; member interviews describe the elements (NFPA 1850, 2026, ch. 7) | ||||
| 15 | Officers make and record a disposition for every routine finding using the finding categories, and removed gear is tagged and replaced | S1 | Cards with findings; dispositions; tagged gear in the out-of-service area; loaner issued | ||||
| 16 | Every structural and proximity element has an advanced inspection within the last 12 months | S1 | Records: percentage current. Score 3 at 100 percent; 2 at 95 to 99; 1 below 95 (NFPA 1850, 2026, ch. 7) | ||||
| 17 | Advanced inspection is done after every exposure that required advanced cleaning, after repair and on a routine finding | S1 | Checksheets matched to cleaning log entries and repair records for the last quarter | ||||
| 18 | Advanced inspections are done by a trained technician or a {{Verified ISP}}, on clean gear with the liner separated, covering every element listed in the program, with a findings category recorded | S1 | Checksheets complete; inspector qualification on each; category A to E on each; second-check initials for new technicians | ||||
| 19 | The moisture barrier light evaluation and liquid integrity test are done at the standard’s interval | S2 | Test results on checksheets for elements past the third year | ||||
| 20 | Category D decisions are made within five working days | S1 | Checksheets with category D and the dated decision | ||||
| 21 | Routine cleaning is done in a yellow-zone cleaning area with gloves and eye protection, never at home, in a laundromat or in a shared machine | S1 | Cleaning area with supplies; member interviews; no station-wear machine used for PPE | ||||
| 22 | Station wear worn under gear at a fire is laundered in the station-wear machine and not taken home | S1 | Station-wear machine present and used; interviews | ||||
| 23 | Advanced cleaning is done after every exposure to products of combustion, within seven days | S1 | Last five working fires: every exposed ensemble has an after-exposure entry. Score 3 at 100 percent | ||||
| 24 | Scheduled advanced cleaning is done within the department’s adopted interval, which is no longer than the standard’s minimum | S1 | Adopted interval in the program; records show currency (NFPA 1850, 2026, ch. 6) | ||||
| 25 | The extractor is dedicated to PPE, programmable, with G-force and water temperature within the standard’s and the manufacturer’s limits, mild detergent dosed by measure, no bleach or softener | S1 | Extractor in a yellow zone; program card; detergent; calibration block on the log | ||||
| 26 | Extractor G-force and temperature verified at commissioning and within the last 12 months; manufacturer maintenance done | S1 | Calibration and maintenance block on the cleaning log | ||||
| 27 | Hoods and gloves cleaned in mesh bags by the manufacturer’s method; helmets and boots cleaned by hand; everything air dried out of sunlight | S1 | Observe the drying area; log entries | ||||
| 28 | Wastewater from the extractor goes to sanitary sewer under the municipality’s rule, confirmed in writing | S1 | Written confirmation on file; drain observed | ||||
| 29 | Contaminated gear from hazardous materials, biological or unknown contaminants is isolated, tagged and not cleaned until the method is chosen; unremovable contamination leads to retirement | S1 | Part D of the cleaning log; retirement records; interviews | ||||
| 30 | Cleaning effectiveness is verified: ISP verification certificate with batch and chain-of-custody records, or a documented in-house validation at commissioning and annually | S2 | Certificate; batch records; or validation record with method and results (NFPA 1850, 2026, ch. 11) | ||||
| 31 | Repairs are made only by the manufacturer, the ISP or a trained technician with the manufacturer’s materials, within the standard’s limits, with no certification-affecting alterations | S1 | Repair entries; no unauthorized patches, pockets or trim observed on the floor sample (NFPA 1850, 2026, ch. 8) | ||||
| 32 | Every repaired element has a post-repair advanced inspection before return to service | S1 | Repair entries cross-referenced to checksheets | ||||
| 33 | Gear is stored clean and dry, ventilated, out of sunlight and diesel exhaust, never in living, sleeping, kitchen or office areas, and never loose in the crew cab | S1 | Walk two stations; open two apparatus cabs; no gear in green zones | ||||
| 34 | Volunteer home storage follows the issue-record rule (department bag, away from living areas and vehicle cabs, no gear home after exposure before routine cleaning) | S1 | Acknowledgements on issue records; interviews with two volunteers | ||||
| 35 | Every element has a per-garment record with the minimum fields from purchase to retirement | S1 | Records sample: fields complete for 10 serials | ||||
| 36 | Members can obtain their own gear records within 10 business days | S2 | Request log; interview | ||||
| 37 | A monthly 10-year retirement forecast runs and feeds the replacement budget | S1 | Last three forecasts; budget worksheet line (NFPA 1850, 2026, ch. 10) | ||||
| 38 | No element in service is past 10 years from manufacture or carries a category E finding | S1 | Floor sample: dates of manufacture checked on labels. Score 0 if any element is past 10 years | ||||
| 39 | Retired gear is rendered unusable, recorded, and never used in live fire, sold, donated or given to a member for fire use; training-only gear is marked and registered | S1 | Retirement records; training-only register; training ground inspection | ||||
| 40 | Tenders require the restricted substances report with total fluorine, full chemical disclosure including flame retardants, and independent toxicity data for substitutes | S2 | Last tender file (NFPA 1970, 2025; Herkert et al., 2025DOI) | ||||
| 41 | A PFAS transition line exists in the annual appraisal with the fleet proportion by layer and the budget line, consulted with the JOHSC | S2 | Appraisal; JOHSC minutes | ||||
| 42 | All members have recruit and annual refresher training on donning, doffing, inspection, cleaning, storage and reporting; records show 95 percent or better currency | S1 | Training records; competency sign-offs | ||||
| 43 | Technicians hold a current advanced inspection and cleaning course and are refreshed every three years or on a model change | S1 | Certificates; refresher dates | ||||
| 44 | Non-fire PPE (hard hats, eye and face, footwear, high-visibility, hearing) is selected to the CSA standards the hazard profile calls for, inspected and replaced per the guidelines | S1 | Hazard profile rows; issue records; observation on roadway and shop (CSA Z96:22); (CSA Z94.3:26) | ||||
| 45 | Wildland, technical rescue, water and hazmat ensembles (where the module is on) are inspected and cleaned per their care standards and never laundered in public machines | S1 | Records; interviews (NFPA 1857, 2026); (NFPA 1955, 2025) | ||||
| 46 | The program’s indicators are reported quarterly with baseline and target, and trends are acted on | S2 | Last two quarterly updates with the indicator worksheet | ||||
| 47 | A learning-team session with members who wear, clean and store gear was held before each procedure under this program was written or last changed | S2 | Session write-up (no names); procedure revision history (Conklin, 2012) | ||||
| 48 | The just-culture line is written and communicated: learning information from cards, logs and learning teams is never used for discipline; conduct concerns go to a separate process | S1 | Policy text; station meeting record; member interviews confirm they know it (Dekker, 2016) | ||||
| 49 | Accountability and closed feedback loop. The program’s table names one owner, doers, verifiers with frequency, feedback paths with cycle times, and a closure rule with escalation on the register’s priority scale; deficiencies are in the register within five working days and closed with evidence | S1 | Table filled with roles; register entries for the last quarter with owners, due dates, closure evidence; escalation applied to any overdue item | ||||
| 50 | Member’s concern route. A member’s gear concern is logged, acted on the same day within the officer’s authority, and answered to the member within five working days, with the JOHSC route available | S1 | Cards and action log: concerns with answer dates; interview the last two members who raised one | ||||
| 51 | Psychological safety. Members report they can raise a gear concern or refuse contaminated, damaged or ill-fitting gear and expect action without reprisal; concern reports rose then stabilized and 100 percent were answered | S2 | Safety culture survey item; concern counts and answer rate in the quarterly update; interviews (Edmondson, 1999)DOI | ||||
| 52 | The program feeds the learning system: gear defects at working fires reach the after-action review; PPE-related injuries and clean-gear shortfalls trigger a post-incident analysis | S2 | AAR records; triage log; Incident Investigation and Learning Program | ||||
| 53 | The Stage 1 minimum is funded: coordinator time, two technicians, an extractor or ISP contract, loaner pool, hoods and gloves | S1 | Budget worksheet; positions; contract | ||||
| 54 | Accreditation crosswalk (where applicable): inventory and distribution, scheduled replacement, qualified maintenance, tracking, compliant supplies | S2 | Evidence above mapped to (CPSE, 2019, criteria 6E.1 to 6E.5) |
- Ask a firefighter to show you the gear they would wear to a fire tonight. Is it clean, in its record, inspected inside 12 months, and does it fit them?
- Ask a company officer what they did the last time a member said “this gear is still contaminated”. Did a loaner appear, did the member hear back, and does the card show it?
- Stand in the extractor room. Can the technician tell you the G-force and water temperature of the program running, when it was last verified, and show you the entry for the load?
| Items scored | Mean score | Items at 0 or 1 | Open corrective actions | Auditor (role) | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This chapter relies on the following legal requirements, which differ by province and territory. Check your jurisdiction’s section on each topic page before adopting it.
| Topic | What to check in your jurisdiction | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Joint Committee and Health and Safety Representative | The deadline for the employer’s written answer to a committee recommendation on PPE, and the committee’s inspection and recommendation role (items 7, 41, 50) | J05 Joint Committee and Health and Safety Representative |
| Written Procedures and Committee Consultation | Whether the committee must be consulted before a PPE policy, procedure or specification is adopted or changed (items 7, 41) | J06 Written Procedures and Committee Consultation |
| Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment | The employer’s duty to provide, maintain and inspect PPE and train members in its use, and which ensemble, head, eye, face and foot protection standards and editions the regulation names (items 3, 5, 8, 14, 18, 44) | J13 Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment |
| Roadway Incident Scenes | The high-visibility apparel standard required for members working on or near a roadway (item 44) | J31 Roadway Incident Scenes |
Center for Public Safety Excellence [CPSE]. (2019). Fire and emergency service self-assessment manual (10th ed.). Commission on Fire Accreditation International. https://cpse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/10th-Edition-FESSAM-Strikethrough-Underline-v.4.pdf
Conklin, T. (2012). Pre-accident investigations: An introduction to organizational safety. Ashgate.
CSA Group. (2014). CSA Z195:14 (R2025), Protective footwear (7th ed.). https://www.csagroup.org/store/product/2422713/
CSA Group. (2015). CSA Z94.1-15 (R2025), Industrial protective headwear: Performance, selection, care, and use (6th ed.). https://www.csagroup.org/store/product/Z94.1-15/
CSA Group. (2022). CSA Z96:22, High-visibility safety apparel (4th ed.). https://www.csagroup.org/store/product/CSA%20Z96:22/
CSA Group. (2026). CSA Z94.3:26, Eye and face protectors (10th ed.). https://store.accuristech.com/standards/csa-z94-3-26?product_id=3128720
Dekker, S. (2016). Just culture: Restoring trust and accountability in your organization (3rd ed.). CRC Press.
Edmondson, A. C. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383. doi:10.2307/2666999
Herkert, N. J., Zhang, S., Mazumder, N.-U.-S., Ormond, R. B., Urwin, D., & Stapleton, H. M. (2025). Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in firefighter turnout gear: Two chemical classes of concern to consider. Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 13(1), 28–33. doi:10.1021/acs.estlett.5c01153
National Fire Protection Association. (2024). NFPA 1550, Standard for emergency responder health and safety (consolidates NFPA 1500, 1521 and 1561). https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-1550-standard-development/1550
National Fire Protection Association. (2025). NFPA 1955, Standard on personal protective equipment for surface water operations and contaminated water operations (consolidates NFPA 1952 and 1953). https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-1955-standard-development/1955
National Fire Protection Association. (2025). NFPA 1970, Standard on protective ensembles for structural and proximity firefighting, work apparel, open-circuit self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) for emergency services, and personal alert safety systems (PASS) (consolidates NFPA 1971, 1975, 1981 and 1982). https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-1970-standard-development/1970
National Fire Protection Association. (2026). NFPA 1850, Standard on selection, care, and maintenance of protective ensembles for structural and proximity firefighting and open-circuit self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) (consolidates NFPA 1851 and 1852). https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-1850-standard-development/1850
National Fire Protection Association. (2026). NFPA 1857, Standard on selection, care, and maintenance of protective ensembles for technical rescue incidents and wildland firefighting (consolidates NFPA 1855 and 1877). https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-1857-standard-development/1857